Meet Director Zane of ZANE Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Director Zane.

Director, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been drawn to creating. Even as a kid, it was never limited to one medium. I loved drawing, painting, theater, and community theater, and I would even rearrange furniture around the house just to see how changing the space could change the way it felt. I think I was always fascinated by the idea of taking what already exists and asking, “What else can I make out of this?”

When I eventually started experimenting with video, something clicked. I loved that filmmaking gives you a defined frame and a set of limitations, but within those limitations you can create an entirely new world. That became one of the creative philosophies I still carry with me today: limitations can often be a gateway to better creations. A budget is a limitation. A location is a limitation. A schedule is a limitation. The frame itself is a limitation. But those constraints force you to solve problems, make choices, and sometimes discover an idea you never would have found if everything were unlimited.

My path from there was very gradual. I kept learning, creating, and meeting people who helped push me into the next stage of my development. I sometimes describe it as an Alice in Wonderland journey. There wasn’t one person or one moment that suddenly changed everything. There were art teachers, theater teachers, college professors, mentors, collaborators, clients, and countless productions that each taught me something about the craft, leadership, and business.

I started producing and directing professionally in 2015, and ZANE Productions grew out of that journey. What began with a focus on creating videos gradually developed into a full-service production company and strategic creative partner with teams in Los Angeles and New York City, working with brands, agencies, media groups, businesses, and individuals nationwide.

Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to work across commercials, branded entertainment, social and vertical content, music videos, livestreams, film and television, and larger multi-platform campaigns. Since 2015, we’ve worked on more than 500 video projects for over 250 clients, and the work has collectively generated more than one billion views across web and social platforms and more than $100 million in client-attributed revenue. We’ve worked with companies and organizations including Amazon, Samsung, Adidas, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Volkswagen, Hyundai, UFC, Procter & Gamble, Kraft Heinz, Cisco, Tillys, and many others.

What I find most interesting is that the creative side and the entrepreneurial side of my life eventually became the same journey. Today, I’m both directing the work and helping lead the company behind it. I get to think about the idea, the audience, the strategy, the production, and ultimately what the video needs to accomplish.

And in many ways, the thing that excited me in the beginning is still what excites me now. Every production presents a different creative problem, and I genuinely enjoy looking at what we have — the objective, the audience, the budget, the schedule, the platform, the limitations — and asking, “How can we use all of this to make something even better than what we originally imagined?”

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. I think any time you start a business, there are going to be bumpy roads along the way, and the creative world adds another layer to that because it is so gig-based. As a creative or freelancer, you often don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from. That requires a certain amount of courage from the beginning.

Then add entrepreneurship on top of that. I started building a business in the creative field in my early twenties, and that can be scary. You are trying to figure out the creative side, the business side, the financial side, and your own identity all at the same time.

For me, though, the biggest challenges have actually been more internal than external.

A lot of it came down to learning to trust myself and believe in myself, both as a creative and as a business person. I had to overcome insecurity, creative blocks, self-doubt, and probably most of all, imposter syndrome.

Especially in the early years, there were periods when business was slow, I was behind on bills, and I would question whether I was making the right decision. That little voice would come in and say, “Maybe you should just go get a nine-to-five job.” Pushing through those moments was one of the hardest parts of the journey.

Over time, I realized that the more I grew internally, the more everything around me began to change. The more confident I became, the more aligned I became with my own thoughts and decisions, and the more clearly I was able to present myself to other people.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned working in Hollywood and in video production is that it isn’t only about your portfolio. It isn’t only about the work. A lot of it comes down to the person behind the work.

People need to trust you. They need to believe that you can lead the project, solve problems, make decisions, and deliver when things become difficult. And I found that the more I genuinely trusted myself and believed in my own abilities, the easier it became for other people to trust me too.

That internal growth had a tremendous impact on the business. As I became more secure and stronger as both a creative person and a business person, I was able to show up differently. I became better at communicating my ideas, leading people, making decisions, and demonstrating what I was capable of.

So when I look back, some of the biggest obstacles weren’t necessarily things happening around me. They were things I had to overcome within myself. Learning to move through insecurity, doubt, and imposter syndrome has probably been one of the most important parts of both my personal growth and the growth of ZANE Productions.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I starting my company, ZANE Productions, in 2015, and I’m pround to have grown it into an award-winning, full-service video production company with teams in Los Angeles and New York City, serving brands, advertising agencies, media groups, businesses, artists, and individuals nationwide.

At our core, we are a director-led strategic creative partner. We bring creative, strategy, and production together to help clients create videos that earn attention and drive results. That can mean developing a campaign from the ground up, producing and directing an existing concept from an agency or brand, or helping a client figure out the best way to translate an objective into content that actually connects with its audience.

Our work spans commercials, branded entertainment, social-first and vertical content, livestreams, product videos, music videos, corporate content, digital web series, original programming, film and television, as well as CGI, VFX, 2D and 3D animation, and full post-production.

What sets ZANE Productions apart is that we do not look at production as simply executing a shot list. We start with the objective. Who is the audience? Where is the content going to live? What does the viewer need to feel, understand, or do after watching it? From there, we build the creative and the production around that goal.

We also think a lot about the audience experience. Production value is important, but production value should always serve creative value. A beautiful video that does not connect with the audience or accomplish the objective is not enough. The strongest work happens when the creative idea, the platform, the audience, and the execution are all working together.

Another major part of what we specialize in is building campaigns rather than thinking only in terms of a single video. Increasingly, brands need content that can live across multiple platforms, formats, and audience touchpoints. We have produced campaigns that generate dozens of deliverables from a single production, including horizontal and vertical content, hero films, cutdowns, social assets, episodic content, and platform-specific versions.

That flexibility is a big part of how we operate. Some productions may only need a lean crew of ten people, while others require more than 100 crew members. We have built a network of more than 200 trusted filmmakers, creatives, and production professionals, which allows us to scale around the needs of each project rather than forcing every client into the same production model.

Over the years, ZANE Productions has delivered more than 500 videos, with our work generating more than one billion cumulative views and more than $100 million in client-attributed revenue. We have had the opportunity to work with brands and organizations including Amazon, Samsung, Adidas, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros., NBCUniversal, Volkswagen, Hyundai, UFC, Procter & Gamble, Kraft Heinz, Cisco, Tillys, Fortnite, Xfinity, Clorox, Huggies, and many others.

What I am most proud of brand-wise, though, is what ZANE Productions represents today. We have grown beyond simply being a company that produces videos. We have become a creative and production partner that clients can bring an objective to and trust us to help figure out the best way to turn that objective into something people will actually want to watch.

That idea is central to everything we do: a great production starts with something worth watching. Whether we are creating a commercial, a vertical series, branded entertainment, a livestream, or an entire campaign, the goal is always to combine strong creative thinking with thoughtful execution and build work that connects with the audience while accomplishing something meaningful for the client.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something that surprises a lot of people is how much I love cooking and baking.

There is honestly almost nothing that makes me happier than being in the kitchen coming up with some new recipe, experimenting with ingredients, or figuring out how to make something that feels indulgent but is still extremely healthy.

If you looked at my Instagram Discover page, it would probably be almost entirely cooking videos, recipes, baking ideas, and food inspiration.

The funny part is that I also eat very healthy. I am very focused on high-protein foods, getting enough fiber, limiting sugar, and generally being mindful about what I eat. So a lot of what I enjoy is taking something that would normally be considered unhealthy and figuring out how to recreate it in a way that is nutritious but still genuinely delicious.

For me, cooking is another extension of creativity.

My work life can be very hectic. I am constantly working, traveling, developing ideas, managing productions, solving problems, and moving from one project to the next. That kind of lifestyle can be exciting, but it can also be stressful and draining.

Whenever I get a little bit of time to myself, one of the first things I want to do is go into the kitchen and make something. There is something very homey and grounding about it. I can put everything else aside for a moment, look at different recipes, pull inspiration from different places, experiment, and create something completely from scratch.

In a strange way, I do not think I ever really stop creating. The medium just changes.

Sometimes creativity means directing a commercial or developing a concept for a campaign, and sometimes it means standing in my kitchen trying to figure out how to make the perfect high-protein cake or reinvent a recipe in a healthier way.

Cooking and baking have become one of my favorite creative outlets, and probably one of the most relaxing parts of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zane-productions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directorzane/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/directorzane/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/director-zane/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@directorzane
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@directorzane

Image Credits
All images: Director Zane on set with the Zane Productions Team
One image: ZANE Productions Featured Production Work