BEHIND YOUR VISION

Marina Paganessi - Creative Director

Marina Paganessi is a marketing and branding professional known for building thoughtful brands and authentic connections in the health, wellness, and cannabis industries. As Co-Founder and Creative Director of Focus & Film, a New Jersey–based branding agency, Marina leads strategy, creative direction, and brand storytelling for emerging and established companies navigating rapidly evolving markets.

Over the past four years, Marina has helped shape the voice, identity, and market presence of a growing roster of East Coast cannabis and wellness brands. Through Focus & Film, she works closely with founders and operators to build brands that feel intentional, culturally relevant, and built to last.

Before launching Focus & Film, Marina parlayed her studies in Mass Communication at Rutgers University into marketing leadership roles for two Los Angeles entrepreneurs: global chef, author, and restaurateur Matthew Kenney, and Paul Dinletir, master composer and owner of Audiomachine, Hollywood’s leading trailer music producer. These early experiences shaped her multidisciplinary approach to storytelling, blending strategy, photography, and creative direction to help brands find their voice and connect with their audience.

Jared Delello - Director of Ops

Jared Delello received a bachelor's degree in General Management from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business in Pittsburgh, Pa. A self-taught photographer and designer, Mr . Delello's photos have been featured in High T imes and on Cookies apparel sold at Zumiez. During his tenure at Jungle Boys and TLC Collective, Jared was integral in the growth of operations and served as the in-house marketing expert for both brands. A skilled tactician, his insights and ability to evaluate strategic and operative aspects of production from both a boots-on-the-ground frame of reference, as well as from market launch and brand growth positions, was a key tenet of helping to lead the vertically integrated transition into the 2018 recreational market. At the age of 5, Jared's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually succumbed to the disease after a 16-year battle. Through watching the constant struggle and deterioration that cancer causes on the human body , Jared decided to focus his life's efforts on increasing access and showing of f the true beauty of the Cannabis plant. As Co-Founder and Operations of Focus and Film, Inc. a branding & marketing firm focused on cannabis & plant-medicine, Jared’ s recent work involved executive level support for a large-scale vertically integrated cannabis cultivation, processing and manufacturing company located in the burgeoning Lake County, Ca.

Max Gener - Art & Brand Director

Max Gener is an art director and graphic designer with 8 years of experience in advertising and design. He has worked at renowned agencies such as McCann and DDB, developing campaigns for high-profile brands. For the past two years, he has been working as a freelancer, focusing on his own projects. His expertise lies in branding, visual identity for brands, and art direction in the music industry.

Sara Vertino - Social Strategist & Brand Manager

Sara Vertino creates images by falling in love with light. Her art centers around blending abstraction, portraiture and video through the quality of light and an element of the surreal. She’s spent years following the transformative nature of light, channeling its beauty into her work, capturing the intangible and giving it form.

Joe Feldpausch - Lead Brand Designer

Joe is a freelance designer, cardist, and creative entrepreneur from the Midwest. He specializes in creating stunning playing cards, brand identities, motion graphics, and functional visual systems for businesses, makers, and artists. He has had the privilege of collaborating with prominent clients such as Herman Miller, The Eames Office, and The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The niche art form of cardistry introduced Joe to the principles of design, and it continues to heavily influence his work. Blending mid-century modern influences, Swiss design sensibilities, and an appreciation for thoughtful craftsmanship, his work reflects a sophisticated and deliberate design philosophy that is both timeless and refined. In all his pursuits, he embraces a studious approach marked by meticulous attention to detail and intentionality. He aims to remain a disciplined and humble creator, always striving to be the best version of himself.

Taha Taqi - Lead 3D Artist & Filmmaker

Taha Taqi is a visual artist, graphic designer, and filmmaker with 6+ years of experience in branding, motion graphics, and digital storytelling. His work blends 3D visuals, graphic design, and animation, creating bold and immersive visuals that bring brands to life. Partnering with Focus & Film, Taha uses his expertise to craft high-impact designs and motion content, helping brands tell their stories in visually compelling ways. Passionate about pushing creative boundaries, he’s always exploring new styles to make every project stand out.

Greg Villagrán - Lead Web Designer

Gregorio Villagrán is an Argentinian illustrator and graphic designer based in Europe. He studied in the city of Tucumán, obtaining a university degree in graphic design. In his 6-year career, he has worked helping small and medium-sized companies to develop their branding in the medium and long term, with a craft approach and making use of illustration, collage and typographic play. He is a specialist in trademarks and illustration for press, music and art projects, having made numerous album covers, books and posters with a style that combines vintage illustrations with grunge and color elements, resulting in surreal compositions with psychedelic, science fiction and fantasy themes. In his partnership with Focus & Film, he used this experience to help produce high-quality graphic pieces for his clients.

Usama Aziz - Head of Web Development, UI / UX

Usama Aziz is a senior web and software developer with over 12+ years of hands-on experience in designing, developing, and scaling digital products. He specializes in WordPress, WooCommerce, custom plugin development, Shopify, and modern web technologies, with a strong focus on performance, security, and scalability.
Throughout his career, Usama has led development teams and delivered hundreds of successful projects for startups, agencies, and established businesses across the UK, USA, and Europe. His approach blends technical depth with business understanding, ensuring that every solution is not only well-engineered but also aligned with real-world goals.
As Head Developer, Usama oversees technical architecture, code quality, and development strategy, while mentoring teams and ensuring projects are delivered efficiently, reliably, and to a high standard.