Bella Signs Jake Wegesin and Frankie Principe

Bella has added Ambient Press to its directorial roster. According to managing partner David Perry, Ambient Press – the creative duo of directors Jake Wegesin and Frankie Principe – is now represented by the company for commercials, branded content, and original entertainment throughout the United States.

Based in the southwest of France, Jake brings a tactile, stop-motion-inspired approach to animation that is infused with humour, creative timing, and heartfelt sincerity. Having launched Ambient Press in 2022 with the acclaimed short film 'The Ultimate Space Race,' which was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick, Jake's pioneering original works also include the short films 'Beyond,' 'Next Flight Home,' and 'Kanon.' Formerly a freelance 3D artist for the likes of We Are Royale, Strange&Wonderful, Loaded Pictures, Valve, TheNewBlank, Lustre, Dystnct, World Famous, and others, Jake's innovative storytelling work for brands includes inventive shorts for Universal Pictures, the Edmonton Oilers, and the MLS, to name but a few.

Originally from New York and now based in Auckland, Frankie's vast expertise in animation, character design, composition, colour, and story perfectly complements Jake's strengths. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts’ traditional animation program, Frankie's track record as a prolific motion designer has impacted countless projects for major NYC-based studios, from the likes of Psyop, Block and Tackle, The Mill, Hornet, Method, Imaginary Forces, and many more. Since 2018, he has served as Senior Motion Designer for Assembly.

Working together as Ambient Press, the global duo’s mission is simple: to use the art of animation to entertain, educate, and inspire.

“As Ambient Press has grown, and notably now that Frankie and I are working together, we are at a point where we are ready to broaden our reach,” Jake began. “Whether it's a product video, a short narrative film, or episodic content, everything we do revolves around the story and the emotions we want to share. We always aim to put thought and purpose into everything we make."

“Frankie and I share a very similar perspective on art, design, and story,” Jake added. “We wanted to join Bella because they share that same focus on developing unique stories and characters. We feel like we've found the perfect partners in David and the rest of the team at Bella.”

“With Ambient Press, we want to make sure we are using the right ideas to tell the right stories for the right clients,” Frankie explained. “We both feel that the partnership with Bella is going to allow us to find those perfect clients to use our unique voices to tell some beautiful stories.”

Through Bella’s parent company Fivestone Studios, Jake and David have collaborated on many projects over the past 12 years. Those shared experiences set the stage for this new partnership. Worth noting, Ambient Press is the first animation-based directing duo to join Bella’s roster.

“Jake and Frankie are exceptional storytellers,” David began. “As Americans now living in places the rest of us dream about, their worldliness shows in their work, mindsets, and workflows … which really resonates with where Bella is going as a company.

“Highly original and self-styled,” David continued, “their ability to infuse truly beautiful art direction into their hybrid style, and combine that with nuanced characters and themes, has us all very inspired.”

To further address the affinity between Bella and Ambient Press, David expressed his belief in how brands are going to invest more heavily into branded entertainment. “Bella is pairing our directors with brands that share that vision,” he continued. “What really drew us to Ambient Press was their originality and unique style with their short films. Those are the kinds of bold concepts that we want to develop and deploy with our agency and brand partners."

Bella’s US representation includes Hapa on the East Coast, Mo Butler Reps in the Midwest, Blush Creative + Lisa G. & Co. on the West Coast, and Jack Reed in the South.

To see the latest work from Ambient Press and learn more about Bella, please visit https://bella.film.