Catalina Velez is a filmmaker and graphic designer. She is a leader of all things video at Burness, handling pre-production, post-production, project management, and relationships with vendors and freelancers. She brings a wealth of creative and cross-cultural communications experience, having served as a branding consultant for the World Bank, campaign ad designer at think tank Win Climate and as an associate producer of multiple productions for Smithsonian Channel, VICE, Netflix, UK’s Channel 4 and Discovery Channel. With a degree in design from Central Saint Martins, she strives to bring clarity, engagement and visual flair to the film, video and design projects she takes on.
Before joining Burness, she forged a career as a freelance documentary producer in London’s bustling factual filmmaking industry. With over eight years of experience in the industry, she developed series ideas and set up complex film shoots across Latin America, the U.S. and Europe. Subjects she has covered include shifting dynamics in the international narco-trafficking networks, mental health in the skateboarding community, European toxic waste-smuggling mafias and the story of the Osage Indian Murders of the 1930s. She has also developed her own series ideas, embedding with Brazilian special operations police forces and demobilized FARC rebels in Colombia.
Outside of work, Catalina enjoys playing strategy games, dancing salsa and cumbia, and planning trips with friends.