Commercial and music video director Shane Drake has signed with Envision Media Arts (EMA) on the heels of his earning the Video of the Year honor from the Academy of Country Music (ACM) for a Tim McGraw clip, “Highway Don’t Care,” which also featured Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. Drake had previously been repped by production house Wild Plum.
Spanning the genres of pop, rock, rap and country, Drake has directed videos for artists including Timbaland, Paramore, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Flo Rida, Will.i.am, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Daughtry. Drake has also helped shape the original visual styles for new bands that have gone onto see great success, the most notable of these acts being Panic! At The Disco. Since the band’s inception, the director’s work with them has earned several VMA nominations and won “Video of the Year” for “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” Drake went on to win an ACM “Video of the Year” Award for his groundbreaking video for country artist Little Big Town for their track “Tornado.”
Drake has also garnered recognition for his commercial and branded work. He directed the entire Ford “on air” music video/spots that aired for four seasons on “American Idol,” and during the seasons Drake participated, Ford boasted its largest numbers since the show’s inception. This, in turn, led the agency to hire Drake to direct a Lincoln commercial for the Grammy Awards. Since then, Drake has directed many more commercials, and a short based on the graphic novel “The Dead & The Dying.”
Film, TV and commercial production company EMA, which is based on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood, was founded by president and CEO Lee Nelson in 2002. Andrew Halpern is EMA’s executive producer/president of commercial production.
