There’s a certain serendipity to how some of the best creative partnerships come together. In the case of director Ying-Poi De Lacy and Spitfire, it’s a connection built on instinct, history, and timing. Spitfire’s newest signing is no stranger to the craft, with a decade of experience, Director Ying-Poi joins the production house with momentum. And if you ask Executive Producer Liesl Lategan Kyriakou, this one was written in the stars.

Executive Producer and Co-Founder of Spitfire, Liesl Lategan Kyriakou, says of the signing, “This sounds very strange but I honestly just had a feeling… I also knew her mum (agency producer Mun-Ying De Lacy) and had such respect for her. And Ying’s name just kept coming up and around in my consciousness, so I went to look at her reel and it was clear to me, she should be working more.
So I would say, as in most of my career, I relied on serendipity and my gut instinct. Ying has an incredible calm presence and a wisdom that is just in her, it’s innate. Yet she is vibrant and youthful at the same time. I feel like I met the Ying to my Yang.”

With 10 years in the industry, Ying-Poi has quietly built a reputation as a director with range and as someone people love collaborating with. On joining Spitfire, she says “I was really drawn to Liesl’s passion, energy and drive. She felt like someone who you should have in your corner. So many of the directors and producers I spoke to said the same thing; that joining Spitfire is like joining a family. And that’s exactly what it’s felt like.”

Ying-Poi’s path in the industry began years ago, cutting her teeth as a creative researcher under director Dean Blumberg at Bouffant (then the sister company of Velocity). From there, she steadily built a career that made the move into directing feel like a natural progression. She’s been directing full-time since 2018 with her previous production company, Massif. Her commercial work stands out for its emotional pull and elegant simplicity, earning her a spot in AdForum’s Top 5 Production Directors, including a #1 spot for her Mooka commercial and a #4 spot for her Lay’s ‘Train’ campaign, with M&C Saatchi Abel.

Ying-Poi has hit the ground running with Spitfire and she’s already been awarded three commercials since March and shot two. Look out for her spot for Afrisam, shot with Promise agency, dropping soon.

Ying-Poi’s creative roots run deep and musical. She was classically trained on flute, taught herself electric guitar, and became a familiar hip-hop and house DJ in Braamfontein in her early twenties. That rhythm and love of experimentation carried into her visual storytelling, especially in the music videos she continues to direct today. 

“I love work that makes people feel something, especially when it comes to women’s stories. But I also have this other side I get to explore in music videos where I play more with technique and visual storytelling,” says Ying-Poi.

Ying-Poi joins Directors AK, Akin Omotoso, Ed Van Blerk,  Hloni Ntsooa, JT, Katlego Baaitse, Peter Heaney, Rajay Singh, Paul Ramaema and Bongani Morgan on the roster. 

Wanna (s)talk some more? Spitfire Films on IDIDTHAT and company website.