Creative and production studio Stept has added director Andrew De Zen to its talent roster.
De Zen has worked on assorted forms of content, including commercials, documentaries, music videos, short films, web fare, and everything in between. He has helmed campaigns for global brands such as Nike, PlayStation, SiriusXM, Cadillac, ESPN, and Sony. He directed Under Armour’s SS21 “Mental Health” campaign, featuring American Olympic icon Michael Phelps and two time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua; the campaign was shortlisted at Berlin Commercial 2021. De Zen created, directed, and produced a series of connected short films called Of Walls & Mountains, which was shortlisted at the Young Director Awards at Cannes Lions in 2018. His film Places for Alaskan Tapes was also shortlisted at Cannes. He is currently in production on two short films and his short Oasis, which premiered at LA Shorts, will be released online later this month.
Growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, De Zen was drawn to cinema as a child and has since become a filmmaker guided by a love and passion for long narrative formats and classic filmmaking. His films are inspired by animation, international foreign filmmaking, and a touch of anime, which he considers to be a breath of fresh air. Using elements outside of directing, such as sound design and music, he captures unassuming moments–the soft breath of a character, shuffling of a chair, keys on a piano–deepening the viewer’s connection to his films through details.
“Andrew has a killer sense of timing and human connection, which is an amazing asset for him to have as a director” says Nick Martini, founder/CEO/director of Stept Studios. “As we grow our offering of talent for our clients, filmmakers like Andrew are key. His professionalism and utter ease behind a camera make him such a pleasure to work with.”
De Zen said of Stept, “Not only do they have amazing support for their directors, there’s a real feeling of being a part of something sincere and special that embraces collaboration. Their postproduction capabilities are a rare treat for a director to have access to in-house. It’s an ideal environment for bringing a vision to life.”
De Zen is also represented by Radke in Canada, Slang in France, and Oddiout in India. He was earlier handled by Keeper Content in the U.S. market.
Stept maintains studios in Los Angeles and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
