Tabletop Director Rob Fiocca Joins FANCY Content

When Rob Fiocca starts shooting food, expect a product greater than the sum of its parts. A photographer turned director with a flair for still life and lifestyle subjects, Fiocca’s food and tabletop films are more than macro – it’s as if you’re inside the action, surrounded by treats that are as outsized in their appeal as they are in their imagery.

A Toronto native and veteran image maker, Fiocca is bringing this talent for making food look not just heroic but at times monumental to a new production roost in the US, FANCY Content. His addition to the directorial roster was announced by Robert Wherry, founder and executive producer of the LA-based studio. To view his work, click here. 

Wherry, who’s worked closely with leading tabletop directors, was struck by the visual appeal of Fiocca’s work. “I found it to be fresh and exciting,” he says. “Rob is one of the most original filmmakers in this arena, which has become much more competitive than in the past. His film stands out, and his clients love him. As several told me, ‘When you shoot with Rob, it’s all about the work.’”

Fiocca was most recently with Joinery in Los Angeles and continues to be rep-resented in Canada by Skin & Bones (formerly Sons & Daughters). He and Wherry were connected through mutual contacts in the US, and the two clicked immediately. “Robert has a great perspective on the American market,” the director says. “And we’re on the same page regarding where we plan to take my career and my work.”

His approach to shooting food, he adds, is more akin to shooting people than product: “My goal has always been to make food look sexy, sensual, beautiful and moody,” he says. “I want people to think about the craftsmanship and detail that goes into making something, about the art that goes into its preparation and ingredients, and I think that shows in how we shoot it. It’s shown in the lighting and camera moves I use, and the food stylists I work with. I get a lot out of them, and I treat them with respect, as true collaborators.”

While Fiocca has shot all over the world – and often travels for food assignments – he often works out of his own studio set-up in Toronto, where he shoots both still and motion, backed by a full-time support staff. Fiocca is also unusual in the category for his handling of the entire job, often shooting both the live action as well as the tabletop segments of his spots. 

Much of his passion for the work was formed at an early age, when he was introduced to photography by a family friend when he was in his teens. “I found it very infectious, and I remember following him around like a puppy dog,” he recalls. “It’s all I wanted to do; I just loved it.”

His motion work is strongly influenced by his years as a still photographer, he adds, “mostly in composition and lighting. My photography work is what got me into directing, and while I’d love to shoot motion all the time, what characterises both crafts is that you’re constantly throwing yourself into problems and coming up with solutions along the way. It keeps you from getting stagnant.”

Wherry would agree: “Rob’s a storyteller, and he addresses each project organically and in a real way. He doesn’t make it fit into the mould of what you might expect from a tabletop filmmaker. Rather, he deconstructs the script or story-board, finds the kernel of truth in it and builds from there, so each piece has its own voice and feels unique. That’s why everything he shoots comes out with a very special and distinctive tonality.”

At FANCY, Fiocca joins a roster that includes Jason Zada, Radish, Ed McCulloch, Paul Laufer, Sophy Holland, and Chris Shimojina.