Discover Top Creative Directors in Oakland, California, USA

I have nearly 15 years of professional experience producing, shooting, editing, and directing video. Raised in Sacramento, California, my love for cinematography started at just the age of 17 as a skateboarder. My friends and I would shoot video of each other on our skateboards using a handy cam then used the footage to create VHS tapes. Little did I know those dear memories would foster in me a strong passion to pursue video production for the rest of my life. As I entered my 20's, my shooting skills really began to develop. My classmates paid me to shoot their videos – everything from music videos to short documentaries. I then began to reach out for professional work. Today, I work as a DP/Editor shooting and directing short documentaries, social content, editing commercials for television, and more. I also produce quality still photography and am FAA certified in Aerial Operations.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Drone Operator
• Field Producer
• Sound Mixer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Production Company
• Production Assistant
• Corporate Videographer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist

Austin Meyer is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Oakland, CA. He is a National Geographic Explorer and his work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, PBS NewsHour, and Al Jazeera among others. Meyer graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. degree in creative writing and an M.A. degree in journalism. After graduation, he was selected as the winner of the New York Times’ International Reporting Trip with Nicholas Kristof competition, for which he reported for the New York Times in Baltimore, India, and Nepal. Meyer has worked as a videographer at the Los Angeles Times and was awarded an IDEO storytelling fellowship, during which he reported for Slate on the social and environmental impacts of hydropower dams along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. In 2018 Meyer was awarded a National Geographic Explorer grant to create a documentary film on maternal healthcare in Zambia. His documentaries have screened at the American Documentary, Mill Valley, & Milwaukee Film Festivals, as well as in the National Geographic Short Film Showcase and Atlantic Selects series. Meyer’s purpose as a documentarian is to tell stories that change the way people walk through the world by inspiring empathy, curiosity, and wonder. He is passionate about telling vulnerable and intimate stories that are emotionally moving, break down stereotypes, and compel people to take action in order to make our world a better place. www.austinmeyerfilms.com @austinmeyerfilms on social media

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Production Company
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• On-Air Reporter / Host
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Event Photographer
• Executive Producer
• Senior Editor
• Product Photographer
• Creative Director

I'm a documentary cinematographer working out of Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, and Portland. My work has appeared on The New York Times, The New Yorker, PBS, Frontline, Al Jazeera, Channel 4 (UK), and more, as well as for clients like CNN, AirBnb, and the Oakland Museum of California. I've also produced on series for National Geographic, Netflix, and for feature documentaries like Girl Rising. I own and operate Sony equipment (Fs7, A7siii), with a MavicPro 2 drone, Sigma Art lenses, Aputure lights, and more. See more work at www.derekknowles.com

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - News
• Field Producer
• TV News Producer
• Drone Operator
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Production Assistant
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Sound Mixer
• Corporate Videographer

Crystal Wong is an Emmy-nominated journalist, documentary producer and cinematographer. Born into the Handover period of Hong Kong, her identity is, likewise, fluid and in question. After graduating from the journalism school at CUHK, she relocated to New York City to gain experience in video production. She established herself as a freelance filmmaker by the time she returned to Hong Kong to document the city’s biggest protests in history. She developed a strong interest in long-form documentaries after being an assistant director for an independent documentary, Faceless, which had been screened at various festivals including the Busan International Film Festival 2021. She is currently directing a long-term project addressing the evolving identity of Hongkongers and the Hong Kong diaspora. Crystal currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She welcomes any type of visual and journalism projects. Her works have appeared on VICE, PBS FRONTLINE, Quartz, RTHK and UnionDocs.

• Documentary DP
• TV News Producer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Production Assistant
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Fixer
• Field Producer
• Corporate Videographer
• Gaffer
• Grip

I’m a film director/producer, musician, and video journalist based in Oakland, CA. For CALIFORNIA Magazine, I've written, shot, and edited around twenty short form documentary pieces, including a 3-part video series called “Bugged,” and am also a frequent contributor to the print magazine. An avid traveller, I have worked, trained, and performed all over the world, including Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. I have a degree in Arabic and Russian Literature from UC Berkeley, and am the artistic director of Radix Troupe Productions, which I founded in 2013. Since finishing my studies in Arabic and Russian at UC Berkeley in 2013, I've been actively directing and producing original work, including multiple short films, music videos, short form documentaries, and promotional work. My most recent short film "Zoey and the Wind-Up Boy" produced by RADIX, won Best Fantasy Film at the 2017 Roswell Sci-fi Film Festival, was a finalist for Best International Short at the Ithaca Fantastik Film Festival, 2017, and won runner up for Best Film at the Carcosa Film Festival, 2018. Another film I produced, "All We Left Behind" won Best International Film at the 48Film Project Festival, 2018. In 2016, I was also one of the aspiring female directors to be selected to shadow BAFTA award-winning writer/director Amma Asante on the shoot of her soon to be released film, Where Hands Touch (2018). As a singer and cellist, I regularly perform with the award-winning band, MAD NOISE, and my newest musical/visual project called Girl Swallows Nightingale.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Production Assistant
• Music Composer
• Fixer
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I’m a New York-raised Californian, filmmaker, photographer, partner and dad. My first foray into independent filmmaking was aboard a 4-seat Cessna, documenting impacts of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, I spent several years in New York working and learning as a Production Assistant and later a Cinematographer and Editor in collaboration with networks and brands including ABC, American Eagle and the MSG Network. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2015, I’ve focused on developing my voice through the stories I was drawn to in the beginning, about the natural systems around us and the spectrum of relationships humanity has with them. And I’ve continued to collaborate with other filmmakers, organizations, and brands including Bloomberg, Netflix and the Biden/Harris campaign. My latest effort, don’t feed the coyotes, began screening at film festivals across the country earlier this year. Through the observations of two starkly-different naturalists, the half-hour documentary chronicles several years in the intertwined lives of San Francisco’s urban coyotes.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• TV News Producer
• Video Editor - News
• Reporter / Journalist
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Corporate Videographer

Vatsala is a cinematographer and director based out of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Her films have premiered in competition at Sundance, Tribeca, AFI Docs, Cinequest, Doc Fortnight: Museum of Modern Art (NY), and on platforms such Netflix, Amazon, PBS, CBS etc. Clients include Facebook, Google, Sony, Eventbrite, HBO Docs, MTV Films, VICE/ Refinery 29, Good Company, Godfrey Dadich Partners, Attn: Inc, Tribeca Studios, Firelight, ITVS, TIME, BET, AwesomenessTV, Salesforce and 23andme. Her work is informed by years of experience working across narrative and documentary film, photojournalism and fine art, as well as from her dual cultural identities as an Indian and queer woman of color living and working in the United States. Vatsala is a recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers' Vision Mentorship program (2020) and is a member of the International Collective of Female Cinematographers. She received her MFA in Cinematography from the Film and Television Institute, India.

• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Field Producer
• Corporate Videographer
• Event Photographer
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Portrait Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Creative Director

I am a documentary photographer and videographer currently based in Northern California. I possess a solid background in photojournalism and specialize in the long-term narrative. My documentary work focuses on social justice, health, environmental conservation, and identity. I am passionate about utilizing the visual narrative as a tool to inform, engage, and impact social change. As a multimedia journalist and storyteller, I have experience working as a producer, visual creator, editor & curator, and project manager. I am proficient in image editing software, studio lighting, video and audio capture, and various array of photography including reportage, portraiture, editorial, travel, corporate, and commercial. I am conscientious, resourceful, and welcome any challenging assignments. Selected Clients & Publications: ActionAid, Asian Development Bank, Bloomberg Businessweek, BuzzFeed News, Clinton Health Access Initiatives, Courrier International, Der Spiegel, Facebook, Fair Trade, Financial Times, Getty Images, Global Citizen, Greenpeace International, The Guardian, Instagram, International Monetary Fund, The New York Times, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Open Society Foundations, Oxfam, ProPublica, Sactown Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, UN-REDD, USAID, USA Today, TripAdvisor, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Field Producer
• Portrait Photographer
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Creative Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Commercial DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Translator
• Event Photographer
• Landscape Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Post-Production Manager

Meklit is an Ethio-American vocalist, composer, and cultural instigator based in San Francisco. Her new album - When the People Move, the Music Moves Too - was released in June 2017 on Six Degrees Records, receiving rave reviews and quickly reaching #4 on the iTunes World Music Charts. These 11 songs were deeply inspired by Mulatu Astatke (the Godfather of Ethio-Jazz). Back in 2011, he told Meklit, "find your contribution to Ethio-Jazz and keep on innovating!" Produced by multi-GRAMMY winning artist/songwriter Dan Wilson (Adele, John Legend, Dixie Chicks), the album also features world renowned musicians Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the violinist/whistler Andrew Bird. Meklit is a TED Senior Fellow and her TED Talk, The Unexpected Beauty of Everyday Sounds, has been watched by more than 1.2 million people. She has received musical commissions from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the MAP Fund and has toured extensively across the US, UK, and East Africa. Meklit has been an artist-in-residence at NYU, and collaborated with NASA Astrophysicist Jon Jenkins, musical legend Pee Wee Ellis and the BBC Philharmonic. She is a Co-Founder of the Nile Project, served as musical director for the beloved Bay Area powerhouse UnderCover Presents, and sang alongside Angelique Kidjo and Anoushka Shankar as a featured singer in the UN Women Theme Song. Meklit and her projects have been covered by: USA Today, NPR, The New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun Times, PBS, PRI, the BBC, Seattle Times, Le Presse (Montreal), MTV Iggy, OkayAfrica, The Village Voice, Google Music, Relix Magazine, Pidgeons and Planes, WIRED Magazine UK and many more. Her video for Kemekem was named a top 10 African Track of 2015 by the BBC and Okay Africa. She has played at festivals and venues in the US, the UK and East Africa, including: Bumbershoot Music Festival, SXSW, The Kennedy Center, Southbank Centre (London 2013 and 2015), Moods (Zurich), the Hollywood Bowl, the TED Conferences (Edinburgh, Rio di Janeiro, Long Beach), Monterey Jazz Festival, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Nuits D’Afrique (Montreal), SFJazz Center, the Gondar Castles (World Heritage Site, Ethiopia), Blankets and Wine Music Festival (Nairobi) and many more. Meklit sits on the board of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and holds a BA from Yale University.

• Creative Director
• On-Air Reporter / Host

I am Claudia Escobar and I like creating and following stories, making things and trying to find where reality meets magic. I am the director of the documentary Dear Homeland, produced by KQED. Currently I am producing a series with AJ+ Español about decolonization in Latin America together with it’s creator Paula Daibert, and In the past years I had been focused on making short documentary and experimental works about Bay Area artists and culture makers for KQED Arts. With the work I did with the arts team I had been nominated for three local Emmy's and I had won one, I had also won a Webby for the series I co-created together with Kelly Whalen, If Cities Could Dance. Before joining KQED, I directed, produced and edited short fiction films, fashion videos, stop motion animations, as well as non-fiction journalism work for AJ+, Common Sense Media, National Geographic, Mission Local, NBC’s former The Feast, and was the editor for the feature documentary “In The Red." directed bu Mimi Chakarova. Some of the indie films I had been part of, have screened all over the world, with the documentary “La Bicicleta Vieja" premiering at San Francisco International Latino Film Festival; "Antonio's Closet" screening at Miami International Fashion Film Festival, and "Mercado de Lagrimas," at Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival, and the La Jolla International Fashion Festival.

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Creative Director
• Series Producer / Show Runner

I’ve been working in the visual arts for more than 20 years constantly learning lighting and composition styles that I love. My work has brought me to nearly every continent and the passion I have for creating beautiful visuals continues to grow. I run a small production company that handles many small projects every year focusing on multi cam, interview-based narratives supported by cinematic b-roll. My small grip truck stores all the lighting, audio equipment and filmmaking gear needed for these small shoots allowing me to easily travel throughout California and beyond to work on projects. I am an FAA licensed and insured drone operator and own a drone shooting high quality 4K content. On a team I usually find myself in the role of principal Director and/or DP, and I’m happy to lend my experience to larger projects.

• Commercial DP
• Drone Operator
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Documentary DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Production Company

Bryon Evans is an award-winning director, cinematographer, & filmmaker specializing in commercial, documentary and narrative video productions. Bryon has been directing and producing for over a decade. His commercial productions have racked up millions of views worldwide and have been featured in Adweek and have won various advertising awards. He has filmed productions around the world; from travel TV pilot’s in Eastern Europe and South America to documentary film making in Kenya. Bryon has a real passion to tell meaningful stories with heart. He creates a unique cinematic style that engages the audience and tells a powerful story. He brings a real passion to every project, incorporating his unwavering standards of production into any work that he produces. Bryon is based in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area.

• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Documentary DP
• Fixer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Production Assistant
• Production Company
• Corporate Videographer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist

Jesse Rosenberg has been working as a freelance director and cinematographer since graduating from New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 2014. He is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since January 2016 he has been working as a camera operator on a trekking series for television, with shoots completed in 16 countries over six continents. He is producing and directing a series of short documentaries titled 1 Minute 1 Life, showcasing the stories inspiring people, each in one minute. Two episodes have been completed: Susan Helmrich, featuring a three-time cancer survivor who found healing and solace through swimming; and Elizabeth Jameson featuring a lawyer who became an artist after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, transforming her brain scans into pieces of art that challenge how the viewer perceives the brain, disability, and illness.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Production Company
• Creative Director
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Drone Operator

Kat O’Toole is a documentary cinematographer based in Oakland, California. She delights in falling into the rhythm of another person’s life while filming handheld. She loves collaborating with directors so that the images they make together can best support the story. She creates beautiful, comfortable and intimate interview setups that allow her collaborators to sink in and open up. Most of all, Kat takes pride in pre-production planning because having all the tools you need frees you up to follow an unexpected thread to someplace even better than you planned to go. Kat studied at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. Her work has been shown on PBS, the BBC and at Sundance Satellite Programming.

• Documentary DP
• Production Company
• Video Editor - Documentary
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Field Producer
• Reporter / Journalist
• Production Assistant
• Creative Director

Matt Martin, the owner of MVP Media, has been creating digital media since 2003. He founded MVP Media, based in Fresno, CA, in 2011. Matt loves to create concepts, write scripts, create storyboards, shoot in a cinematic style in 4K raw utilizing camera movement with steadicams, motorized gimbals, sliders, and drones. He also enjoys editing, creating motion graphics, and 3D animation using Cinema 4D. MVP Media has grown into a team of talented people taking projects from concept to finished product. We've created commercials, corporate videos, real estate, and event videos for more than 80 clients including BD Medical Technology, Coherent, Farmers Insurance of Fresno, Giro Pack Inc., Omnicell, Prison Fellowship, and many more.

• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• Drone Operator
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Motion Graphics Designer

Hello! I've been a filmmaker for 7 years, running a small production company in the SF Bay Area. I've had the honor to film projects all over the world (South Sudan, Laos, Honduras, just to name a few). I am passionate about telling compelling stories in a way to really connects with the audience. Currently my largest finished project is a short documentary about micro-lot coffee farmers in Honduras. It has been shown around the world and has garnered three film festival awards. This film was a personal project that I used to learn all the aspects of filmmaking, so I did all aspects of the film and it was a great learning experience! My favorite projects are ones where I get to be involved in the strategy and development phase and when I get to travel.

• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Production Company
• Creative Director
• Event Photographer

Originally from story-rich Mississippi, I began making films with my parents' home movie camera & friends in the early '90s. Now working mostly in the world of narrative and commercial media, I spent much of my formative years living, learning & working on film/TV sets in New Orleans and abroad. Naturally curious and very inspired by travel, my passions revolve around filmmaking, writing, still photography & design, more or less the case since 6. I've spent a substantial time just roaming about everywhere with a camera as a great admirer of everyday history & the physical world and generally staying ahead of the curve. Which could explain my fascination now with all things Unreal and aerial imagery. Thanks for looking!

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Drone Operator
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Copywriter
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Commercial

For over 10 years I have learned the ins and outs of both large and small scale video production through hard work and hands-on experience. I have built a television studio from scratch, created an entire video department from the ground up, acted as company-wide video quality control, and have seen through the creation of shows from start to finish. I have worked for startups, large corporations and for myself as a freelancer. I know what it takes to get a video production completed with the highest standards while not going overboard with budget and concept. Most importantly, I know how to delegate and use an individual’s strengths to the group’s advantage.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Commercial DP
• Reporter / Journalist
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Documentary DP
• Production Company
• Full-Service Live Production
• Corporate Videographer

Josh Freund is an award-winning documentary, narrative and commercial filmmaker. His diverse clientele range from leading brands like Nike, Mattel, Chevrolet, and Jameson Whiskey to Grammy-winning musicians. Josh's first feature film Do U Want It? won Audience Award at New Orleans Film Festival in 2017 and at SF IndieFest in 2018 and will be streaming in October 2019. He owns and operates ABIS Productions, New Orleans’ premiere video production company dedicated to creating video content for bands and musicians. Josh graduated with a BSJ from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 2012.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Fixer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Field Producer
• Production Coordinator / Crewing
• Senior Editor
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Corporate Videographer

Leaf River is a journalist, filmmaker, drone cinematographer, editor, and as of recent, one man production crew. His work has appeared in AJ+, BBC, Reveal (currently Center for Investigative Reporting), Fusion, and Color Magazine. His work tends to focus on the injustices and plight thrust upon the overlooked and left behind members of modern society. He has begun working on his own feature length documentary about an immigrant woman who finds strength and meaning through working with wild horses in New Mexico. He is always ready for the challenge of taking on new work and has the gear and knowledge to handle it.

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - News
• Drone Operator
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Grip
• Commercial DP
• Reporter / Journalist
• Sound Mixer
• Creative Director