Roxana Baldovin has been mistaken for the on-camera talent more times than she can count. “If it’s not the artist or the model, then it’s the stylist. No one ever thinks I’m the director.”
Maybe it’s the way she immaculately matches her sets as if she’s meant to be on screen. Her presence radiates star power, even when behind the lens.
Back in 2019, she spontaneously hopped in her hit video for Doja Cat and Rico Nasty, “Tia Tamara”.
“We had to incorporate Lyft in as a last minute product placement - which meant we needed a driver. Initially I was going to have my girl TT the Artist jump in but she was busy with AD duties. I realized Rico and I were both wearing blue cheetah-print sets from Adriana Saher - so I ran into hair & make up while camera & lighting set up the frame and became the bad bitch driver of my dreams”.
“Sometimes it’s more efficient if I play the role; I know exactly what I want and I’m able to execute it.”
When filming the Haunted Mansion inspired “Bruises” for pop-punk starlet Ellise, Roxana wanted a girl to climb up the stairs backwards. The hired dancers had different tricks up their sleeve but Roxana’s many years of gymnastics allowed her to contort her way up the stairs with ease.
“People are still amazed at that. Every so often someone will text me and say, ‘IS THAT YOU?!’ It’s pretty funny to me because I don’t go a day of my life without stretching so I forget that the majority of the population are wowed by the simplest things”.
I’d hardly call walking backwards on all fours “simple”, but that’s just what makes Roxana so good at what she does ; her unique perspective.
“When we first started working together, my business coach Danielle Bigby told me that being a chameleon is my superpower. I was feeling overwhelmed because of all the things I wanted to do and all the naysayers who tried to put me in a box and tell me all the things I couldn’t do. But now I’m defying them all. I’m carving my own lane of For Baddies, By Baddies. At least in the music video space.”
The term “for baddies, by baddies” came to her when she was in talks to direct Rubi Rose’s first single.
“Rubi had actually followed me first, which was dope. It was just one of those moments where you really don’t know who knows about you and has been watching your journey, wanting to make you a part of theirs.”
A video for the song was never made, but it did give Roxana a jolt of affirmation that she’s doing it exactly the way she’s meant to. She owns her brand of femininity with an air of sexually charged confidence expressing itself loudly.
A self-proclaimed “nudist since birth”, Roxana frequently shows up to set in clothing that some would say is provocative, but Roxana views as freeing. To have her nipples out is her birth right, “and it needs to be normalized”, Roxana says.
“I’m blessed to work in a field where the more authentic you are, the farther you’ll go. I have had people try to tell me my sexuality is a distraction or a turn-off for labels - but it’s an innate part of who I am. They try to tell women you can’t be equal parts sexy and a boss, but that’s bullshit. I am proving to other women you don’t have to play small to make it big.”
“Tia Tamera” was arguably the video that catapulted Doja into stardom, and it landed on several best videos of the year lists.
That led her to create more break-out videos - like Latto’s “In n Out” - and even break out in her own right. Since then, Roxana’s ventured into the worlds of advertising and scripted content with major brands like Snapchat, who flew her out to Lafayette, Louisiana.
“I’m always down for an adventure so I love to be on location. When else would I get to be eating crawfish and boudin on the bayou with Addison Rae’s whole family?! Some experiences just can’t be had on a set built backlot.”
Even though building worlds is one of Roxana’s favorite parts of creating.
“When I’m writing a concept, I don’t spend too much time thinking on the nitty gritty of how it’s going to get done. I just know my team is going to get it done. And seeing how the visuals inside my head come to life on screen - that’s probably one of the most rewarding parts of this career.”
So what’s next for this inspiring chameleon?
“In film and tv, call me the Spiritual Spielberg. I’m going to be bringing a lot of esoteric concepts into the mainstream. I’ve done a lot of healing work in the last year and I’m ready to heal others thru my stories. When you realize the power in your own story, that’s when you truly become unstoppable.”
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