When you are doing music videos through the '90s, which I did, and the 2000s, you were put in the position, really, as an independent filmmaker. You were being financed by a major record company or a minor record company or whatever.
The music video, Lil Nas X, he asked me to be in the 'Panini' music video. It was crazy. I was just listening to the song and I was like, okay, this is going to be my first music video but it was really fun.
There's a lot of variety in our gigs, our records, our mixtapes, and our videos.
I paid attention to the music industry and watching a lot of stuff on TV, behind-the-scenes stuff on old DVDs, and paying attention to interviews from artists and rappers and just really watching a lot of stuff as a kid.
Music videos were this lucky career opportunity. They were assignments. I was providing a service, and they were meant to be punchy and gimmicky and fun.
I began my career as a recording artist, and eventually I started directing my own music videos.
I'm very conscious that a music video is beyond just a promotional tool for a song. It takes a song to the next level and it gives a song a new life.
Fueled by Ramen was maybe the first company to see YouTube as a place where music videos would go. The music video, which could never quite find a place on TV, has found its final form on YouTube.
All true artists in the world from all countries and all genres are influenced by Michael Jackson. There were music videos before Michael Jackson, and there were music videos after Michael Jackson. He brought such a huge change in the marketing and positioning of the music video.
It's pre-roll or post-roll on Vevo. The record company makes money off of that, and then it trickles down.
I was doing these music videos online for a couple years, and they'd be doing well to varying degrees. And I released an album, and with the album, I released three new music videos, and one of them was featured on Jezebel.
'Heart on Fire' didn't do as well as the last record in most territories, but South Africa is one of the places it did really well.
I've noticed that a lot of people in film always seem interested in music videos, like it's some, like, really exciting thing they've always wanted to do or something.
God bless Skrillex. I love the kid, but he puts out a new video, what, every four weeks? I'm like the Dos Equis guy. I don't normally do music videos, but when I do, I go big.
I'm in Atlanta all the time shooting and recording. That's why I stayed.
'Shelby Star' is going great. We shot a music video, and I'm building an app and some other things for the project.
First of all, you needed a budget to do the video. The record companies would pick and choose who got videos.
You get to actually see the music video on the TV in the pilot and we have the soundtrack playing at this big party. I thought that was sort of a cool moment, to actually have the A-Ha video is pretty cool.
As a music video director, I have about 4 billion hits on my music videos on YouTube, and I'm really proud of that.
I am a hardcore VH1 lover and always have this dream of featuring in an English music video of VH1.
Shooting the music video for 'Party' on Thailand's Ko Samui Island was such a blast.
