Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Sims.
Hi Christopher, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I came of age in the OC/LA skateboard scene of the late ’90s. I discovered photography in high school, where I spent every available hour in the darkroom. I graduated college with a simple AA degree and wrote and directed a semi-autobiographical no-budget feature about suburban youth living in Southern California. Then I soon began touring with my close friend’s bands in the Southern California hardcore scene, shooting constantly and creating music videos and documentaries out of the raw footage from the tours.
During this time, one of my friend’s bands got signed to Sony Music Entertainment. They gave me 15K to shoot their first proper music video. At the time, it felt like I had a million-dollar budget. So I shot it on 16mm film in some dark dungy warehouse in LA. After that success, Sony gave me bigger and better jobs through their heavy metal arm of the company.
As heavy metal and rock sales plummeted, I transitioned into directing R&B and Hip Hop music videos for artists like P.Diddy, Rick Ross, Usher, David Guetta and Ludacris.
Soon after my love for music videos wained a bit creatively, I began focusing my attention on the advertising industry. I moved from my first production company I ever signed with, DNA, to Ridley Scott’s commercial agency, RSA. After a brief stint with that group of executive producers, I went Independent and began working directly with a lot of the advertising agencies like Deutsch LA, BBDO New York and J. Walter Thompson.
Shifting my focus and sensibilities now as an American filmmaker, I’m spending much of my most recent time as partner and Senior Director of Content for the ever-growing brand, HyperIce.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Some of the most challenging aspects of working as an artist in advertising was conforming to a lot of the corporate baggage that comes with a profit-based industry. The struggle between art and commerce always, even today, is difficult to overcome.
Transitioning from a free-form sense of creativity with music videos into a focused advertising-based form of visual messaging was difficult but I learned a ton during that transition. It took a few years and a multitude of jobs through various agencies and relationships with creative directors to find my groove in advertising.
I still think I have some work to do. I think I might fall in love with the work a little too much at times.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a filmmaker working in advertising. But I started as an editor and I probably have over 20,000 hours in the chair. I think my work as an editor really influenced my directing abilities and vice versa. I am admittedly a better editor than I am a director but I think my strengths in both help my filmmaking as a whole.
I’m more proud of my body of work than I am of a specific piece or project. Like any artist, I struggle with gratification of the work I’m currently working on only because I’m so close to it, considering I’m most likely editing it and running all post-production aspects of the project.
I’ve worked with The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on a number of occasions and I’m very proud of the work I’ve done with captain Paul Watson in illuminating the need to save our oceans from climate change.
What matters most to you?
I probably strive most to create emotion of any kind from viewers of the content that I create. Whether that is excitement, sadness, inspiration or that small little shift of feelings when you view something that is done well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.simsdirector.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simsdirector
