50 Best Music Video Directors (2019)

1. Dave Meyers

Director | The Hitcher

Dave Meyers is a director and producer, known for The Hitcher (2007), Foolish (1999) and Volatile Love (2015).

2. Nabil Elderkin

Director | Gully

3. Lacey Duke

Director | Queen Sugar

4. Romain Gavras

Director | Notre jour viendra

Romain Gavras is a director and producer, known for Our Day Will Come (2010), M.I.A.: Bad Girls (2012) and The World Is Yours (2018).

5. Melina Matsoukas

Director | Queen & Slim

Melina Matsoukas was born on January 14, 1981. She is a director and producer, known for Queen & Slim (2019), Insecure (2016) and Master of None (2015).

6. Eric Wareheim

Producer | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

Eric Wareheim was born on April 7, 1976 in Audubon, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007), Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories (2013) and Master of None (2015).

7. Spike Jonze

Producer | Her

Spike Jonze made up one-third (along with Andy Jenkins and Mark Lewman) of the triumvirate of genius minds behind Dirt Magazine, the brother publication of the much lamented ground-breaking Sassy Magazine. These three uncommon characters were all editors for Grand Royal Magazine as well, under the ...

8. Johan Renck

Director | Chernobyl

Johan Renck is one of the most respected and sought after directors of commercials and music videos today, so much so that the French magazine CB News dubbed him "the number one director of commercials and music videos in the world".

His directing career started in 1992 when he joined the production...

9. Brthr

Director | The Weeknd: Party Monster

10. Paul Thomas Anderson

Director | Punch-Drunk Love

Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...

11. Tyler the Creator

Soundtrack | The Grinch

Tyler, The Creator is an American musician in all aspects, including producing, directing music videos as well as writing and performing as an artist. He was born in Boulder, Colorado as Tyler Okonma to a single mother. In 2008 Tyler, The Creator founded the hip-hop collective Odd Future, a ...

12. Jake Schreier

Director | Robot & Frank

Jake Schreier is a director and producer, known for Robot & Frank (2012), Paper Towns (2015) and Untitled Jake Schreier/Chris Ford Project.

13. Emily Kai Bock

Director | A Funeral for Lightning

14. Matthew Dillon Cohen

Director | Gus Dapperton: Prune, You Talk Funny

15. Cole Bennett

Director | YoungBoy Never Broke Again: AI Nash

16. Austin Vesely

Director | Slice

Austin Vesely is a director and actor, known for Slice (2018), Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment: Sunday Candy (2015) and $5,000 Video (2013).

17. Grant Singer

Director | The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk: Starboy

18. Petra Collins

Director | Spiral

Petra Collins is a director and actress, known for Spiral, Transparent (2014) and A Love Story (2018).

19. Jesse Kanda

Director | Arca - Now You Know

20. Floria Sigismondi

Director | The Runaways

Floria Sigismondi is a photographer and director. Apart from her art exhibitions she is best known for directing music videos. Her trademark dilating, jittery camerawork, noticeable as early as her video for Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", has been replicated by a great number of directors...

21. Hannah Lux Davis

Director | Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next

Hannah Lux Davis is a filmmaker best known for her work in music videos. With a passion for creating striking imagery, storytelling, and making stars look and feel their very best, she has established herself as one of today's most in-demand creators.

Some of Davis' most notable achievements include...

22. Kevin Abstract

Soundtrack | Helmet Boy

23. Mark Romanek

Director | One Hour Photo

Mark Romanek was born on September 18, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a director and producer, known for One Hour Photo (2002), Never Let Me Go (2010) and Static (1985). He is married to Brigette Romanek.

24. Director X.

Director | Across the Line

Director X (formerly known as Little X) was born on October 31st,1975 in Toronto, Canada, and is of Trinidadian and Swiss descent. Moving to New York City he became the protégé of pioneering hip hop director Hype Williams, X has been noted for directing high-budget, visually distinctive videos for ...

25. Canada

Director | Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better

26. Chris Cunningham

Make_up_department | Judge Dredd

Chris Cunningham made his directorial debut in 1997 with the music video for "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin, which was instantly praised, banned, and raved about by many people in the business. He followed up by making the music video for "Windowlicker" by Aphex Twin, and the astounding "All is Full...

27. Daniel Sannwald

Director | Yves Tumor: Licking an Orchid (ft. James K)

28. Beyoncé

Soundtrack | Dreamgirls

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Her mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson designs their glittering costumes & her dad, Mathew Knowles manages Destiny's Child. Solange, her sister (they're 4 years apart) has released her debut album. She dances with her big sister during ...

29. Kanye West

Soundtrack | The Great Gatsby

Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. His musical career has been marked by dramatic changes in styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, ...

30. David Fincher

Director | Se7en

David Fincher was born in 1962 in Denver, Colorado, and was raised in Marin County, California. When he was 18 years old he went to work for John Korty at Korty Films in Mill Valley. He subsequently worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) from 1981-1983. Fincher left ILM to direct TV commercials...

31. Lady Gaga

Soundtrack | A Star Is Born

Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is an American songwriter, singer, actress, philanthropist, dancer and fashion designer.

Gaga was born on March 28, 1986 in Manhattan, New York City, to Cynthia Louise (Bissett), a philanthropist and business executive, and Joseph Anthony ...

32. Hype Williams

Director | Belly

Hype Williams was born in July 1970 in Queens, New York, USA as Harold Williams. He is a director and producer, known for Belly (1998), Coldplay: Viva La Vida (2008) and Busta Rhymes Feat. Janet Jackson: What's It Gonna Be?! (1999).

33. Drake

Actor | Degrassi: The Next Generation

Aubrey Drake Graham was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Dennis Graham, an African-American musician born in Memphis, Tennessee, and Sandi (Sher) Graham, a Canadian Jewish educator. As a young man, Drake appeared in several commercials, for such retailers as Sears and GMC. In 2001, Drake rose ...

34. Kendrick Lamar

Soundtrack | The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop artist from Compton, California. He's signed with Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath. Kendrick also has his own label, known as 'Top Dawg Entertainment', with includes artists such as Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q and Ab Soul. Kendrick's major label debut album, 'good kid m.A.A.d city' ...

35. Britney Spears

Soundtrack | Crossroads

Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981 in McComb, Mississippi & raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for The ...

36. Michael Bay

Producer | Armageddon

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. His work won...

37. George Michael

Soundtrack | Beverly Hills Cop II

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in Finchley, north London, in the United Kingdom, to Lesley Angold (Harrison), a dancer, and Kyriacos Panayiotou, a restaurateur. His father was a Greek Cypriot, and his mother was of English background. He first discovered fame as a musician ...

38. David LaChapelle

Director | Rize

By 2011, LaChapelle had a major exhibition of new works at The Lever House in New York and went on to have retrospectives at the Museo Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico, the Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul, and Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague. In the following years, LaChapelle's works ...

39. Jonas Åkerlund

Director | Lords of Chaos

Jonas Åkerlund was born on November 10, 1965 in Bromma, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is a director and editor, known for Lords of Chaos (2018), Polar (2019) and Try (2000). He is married to B. Åkerlund. He was previously married to Charlotta Palmbäck.

40. Marc Webb

Director | (500) Days of Summer

Marc Webb was born on August 31, 1974. He is a producer and director, known for 500 Days of Summer (2009), Gifted (2017) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015). He is married to Jane Herman. They have one child.

41. Samuel Bayer

Producer | Pony

Having photographed and directed hundreds of music videos and commercials over the last 15 years, Samuel Bayer has firmly established himself as one of the industry's most prolific and sought-after talents.

A 1987 graduate of New York City's School of Visual Arts, Bayer was a painter who saw film ...

42. Spike Lee

Director | Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

43. Bryan Barber

Director | Idlewild

Bryan Barber was born December 20, 1970. He is a music video and motion picture director. He has directed many music videos for popular artists.

Bryan Barber takes inspiration from many sources and says his upbringing has always helped form his vision. For Barber, writing and directing began as an ...

44. Joseph Khan

Director | Black Eyed Peas: Behind the Bridge to Elephunk

Joseph Khan is a director, known for Black Eyed Peas: Behind the Bridge to Elephunk (2004) and E! Live from the Red Carpet (1995).

45. Chris Robinson

Director | ATL

Filmmaker Chris Robinson is from Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Foothill College in Los Altos where he played football and studied mass communication. He discovered Spike Lee's independent film"She's Gotta Have It" and was inspired to pursue the craft. Robinson began shooting music videos for ...

46. John Landis

Director | The Blues Brothers

John Landis began his career in the mail room of 20th Century-Fox. A high-school dropout, 18-year-old Landis made his way to Yugoslavia to work as a production assistant on Kelly's Heroes (1970). Remaining in Europe, Landis found work as an actor, extra and stuntman in many of the Spanish/Italian "...

47. Michel Gondry

Director | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

He grew up in Versailles with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 80s he entered in an art school in Paris where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band ...

48. Amanda Adelson

Writer | The Dirt

49. Zia Anger

Director | I Remember Nothing

Zia Anger is a director and actress, known for I Remember Nothing (2015), Always All Ways, Anne Marie and My Last Film (2015).

50. Martin Iliev

Writer | Stereo Love

51. Dan Kwan

Director | Swiss Army Man

Dan Kwan is a director and actor, known for Swiss Army Man (2016), DJ Snake and Lil Jon: Turn Down for What (2014) and Everything Everywhere All at Once.

52. Hiro Murai

Director | Atlanta

Hiro Murai is a director and producer, known for Atlanta (2016), Guava Island (2019) and Childish Gambino: This Is America (2018).