Courtney Sofiah Yates is a Brooklyn-based photographer and commercial director whose work centers character-driven narrative and creative documentary, with a stills-trained eye for color, body, and composition. A former New York agency creative, she began professional directing in summer 2020 with films for Moncler and Document Journal. Brand credits include Nike’s Legacy Project with Naomi Osaka, REI’s #OptOutside Expanding Outdoor Culture film (Stept), Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bumble, Coterie, Converse Back to School, Feeld, and fashion-leaning Moncler pieces on the Empire Marching Band and dancer King Kumo. For Smirnoff’s Come On In series she directed the Atlanta rollerskate-community film “Come on In (8 Wheels),” a Vimeo Staff Pick. Longer-form work includes Genentech’s GS&P short “Question Reality” (Ask Bigger Questions) and the Ad Council’s Real Deal on Fentanyl / “Substitute Dealers” with JOAN, which carried a director credit on a 2023 One Show Gold Pencil in Health & Wellness (Experiential/Immersive/Events). Editorial includes a Vogue feature with Julie Dash and stills in The New York Times, Vogue, W, Marie Claire, and Document Journal. She was named to Dazed100 in 2024 and was a SHOOT 2022 New Directors Showcase alum while at Stept; she joined Florence for US commercials in November 2023, with worldwide representation through East.