Iranian-American filmmaker Saman Kesh has the most Vimeo staff picks, ever. He attributes this accolade to excessive consumption of rocket fuel and a knack for combining the human experience with a healthy dose of controlled chaos.

After his music videos won him YDA Silver at Cannes and two Best Video at SXSW, his foray into advertising was an epic international Superbowl spot for Taco Bell. Since then, he has worked with major brands like Zoom, Google, Citibank, Uber, and most recently picked up a handful of Clio awards for his work with Toyota and Nintendo. Saman has written and directed two universally hailed short films, CONTROLLER and HIT TV, which are being developed into TV-shows, and he is currently working on two feature films.

On his off hours, he plays video games and trolls racists.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Creating a sanctuary for yourself (00:03:20)
• His short film Controller, DP’d by Isaac Bauman (00:10:01)
• Saman’s definition of success (0015:43)
• Celebrating small victories (00:22:28)
• Working professionally with ADHD (00:26:59)
• Knowing our strengths and weaknesses and how to work with them (00:35:40)
• Martial arts and spirituality (00:43:22)
• Saman’s advice for artists and creatives (01:11:16)

artistdecoded.com
samankesh.com
instagram.com/saman_kesh