Bas Berkhout, a director known for his intimate short films, has joined bicoastal production company ArtClass for commercials and branded content. This marks his first U.S. representation after five years of freelancing in the American market. After meeting company EP Geno Imbriale, Berkhout knew ArtClass would be the right fit. The two worked on an ESPN and Facebook project that further cemented the partnership.
Berkhout began his career in the Netherlands. He began working for a travel agency, filming documentaries around the world. He continued to stretch his creativity and began exploring journalism, reporting, and documentaries at a local TV network. Berkhout then co-founded the Like Knows Like series as an artistic outlet. The program focused on the personal stories of popular artists, creatives, and bloggers through film and photography. It was through this series that Berkhout’s signature visual style fully took shape, and its popularity is what drew him from the Netherlands to New York.
Whether helming independent work or branded content for clients like ASICS or Charles Schwab, Berkhout approaches the projects in the same way—humanity first. He frequently eschews the use of music and incorporates archive footage, stop-motion, stills, and other visual techniques to tell intimate stories of his subjects. Berkhout shared, “I love to break down walls by showing honesty and vulnerability, and to find the deeper meaning in everyone.” He said he accomplishes this by putting the “story, location and sound first. I want to bring the viewer as close as possible to the events in the film.”
This focus on authenticity has resonated with a range of clients including ESPN, Facebook, H&M, Samsung, Asics Europe, TimeInc, Condé Nast, The Atlantic and Honeywell, as well as earning him Vimeo Staff Picks numerous times.
