He’s made music videos for Drake and Rihanna. He recently created an installation for Toronto’s all-night art fest, Nuit Blanche. Between commercial work and more personal pursuits, Director X has proven himself a master storyteller — and now he’s bringing that expertise to brands and agencies.
The man born Julien Lutz has been confirmed as the closing speaker for Marketing Live: The Story Begins, where the entire conference will be hosted on the stage of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto on Oct. 20. Director X, who has sometimes been known as Little X, will be interviewed on-stage in a fireside chat about his creative approach to the “fusion of content.”
Despite the range of his output, X reflected on some truisms about storytelling on his website.
“Regardless of time constraints or medium, be it commercial, music video or feature film, the rules of storytelling always apply,” he wrote. “The stories are intelligent, detailed and well-structured . . . developing characters that the audience connects with and cares about. Creating a piece that leaves the audience satisfied and entertained.”
In honour of X’s appearance at Marketing Live, here’s a snapshot of his portfolio. Come ready with your questions.
Hotline Bling: The clip that introduced the world to Drake’s ‘Views.’
A Skrillex video to support designer Alexander Wang’s Fall campaign.
Discussing his “Death of the Sun” installation on Breakfast Television.
And of course, Rihanna’s ‘Work.’
