David Zennie (born May 3, 1988) is an American director and producer best known for working with international artists including

IMRAN KHAN Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

Mohammad Assaf Mohammad Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf ( ar, محمد جبر عبدالرحمن عساف; born 1 September 1989)

and

Yo Yo Honey Singh Hirdesh Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh or simply Honey Singh, is an Indian music producer, rapper, singer, songwriter and an actor. He started out in 2003 as a session and recording artist, and became a b ...

. He splits his time between

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

Early career

Zennie was born and raised in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and was drawn to filmmaking at a very young age. After winning a national competition at the age of 14, he directed his first television commercial for Wrigley's Chewing Gum which was shown across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

. After graduating early from

Lakota East High School Lakota East High School is a four-year, public high school in Liberty Township, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is a member of the Lakota Local School District, which comprises both West Chester Township and Liberty Township. The ...

he went on to study film at the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...

Works

Zennie directed many of the Middle East's first Hip Hop music videos starting in 2008; several of them reached #1 on

MTV Arabia MTV Middle East, formerly MTV Arabia, was a free-to-air music television channel, and the Middle Eastern incarnation of MTV. As an addition to the MTV network, it was a joint venture between MTV Networks International and Arabian Television Netwo ...

’s International Express Chart. In 2011 he crossed over to the Desi market, directing a music video for up and coming Indian rapper

. The video for the song

Brown Rang "Brown Rang" is a Punjabi-language song written by Yo Yo Honey Singh and sung by Yo Yo Honey Singh.The record was released on 11 November 2011. Upon release, the song topped the charts worldwide and captured positive reviews both from critics and ...

showcased the lavishness of

with Zennie’s creative vision, styling, and marketing experience in artist branding being instrumental in the success of the video. After the tremendous success of Brown Rang, Zennie was asked to direct the music video for the song Long Drive for the feature film

Khiladi 786 ''Khiladi 786'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Ashish R Mohan. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Asin, Himesh Reshammiya, Mithun Chakraborty, Raj Babbar and Mukesh Rishi. It is the eighth installment in the ''Khiladi' ...

starring Bollywood action superstar

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

and

Asin Thottumkal Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She beg ...

. In 2013, he directed a music video

Satisfya "Satisfya" is a Pakistani-Punjabi hip-hop single by Imran Khan, released on 10 May 2013 via an independent record label called IK Records owned by him. The song has 830+ million views on YouTube. Reception As of 1 June 2023, the song's offic ...

for

. The music video shows Khan driving a yellow

Lamborghini Aventador The Lamborghini Aventador () is a mid-engine sportscar produced by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini. In keeping with Lamborghini tradition, the Aventador is named after a Spanish fighting bull that fought in Zaragoza, Aragón in ...

and sitting with a cheetah. The song won "Best Urban Asian Single" at the 2013 Brit Asia TV Music Awards for "

". It is one of the most popular songs by

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

and as of 26 October 2020 song's music video has over 500 million+ views on YouTube. Asian Image described the song as catchy and motivational. In 2013 Zennie was selected by

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

to direct their latest television commercial for the Chrysler 300C featuring the

Beats By Dr. Dre Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exec ...

speaker option. The commercial titled “A Salute to the Driven Class” featured Emirati entertainment personality DJ Bliss. Through the years Zennie has compiled a diverse portfolio of work consisting of over 70 international productions. He has also filmed on location around the world in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Awards and nominations

In May 2012 Zennie was featured on the cover of the Middle East's leading industry magazine

Digital Studio A digital studio provides both a technology-equipped space and technological/rhetorical support to students (commonly at a university) working individually or in groups on a variety of digital projects, such as designing a website, developing an el ...

. Zennie is also a 3 time Murex D’or Nominee for his work with Lebanese artists Joseph Attieh and Joe Ashkar. *Best Director & Best Music Video 201
Middle East Music Awards
* *

MTV India MTV India is an Indian pay television channel specialising in music, reality and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 as the Indian version of MTV and is owned by Viacom 18, a joint venture operation between MTV International owne ...

VMA for

- Brown Rang *3x Murex D’or Award Nominee *"Best Urban Asian Single" at the 2013 Brit Asia TV Music Awards for "

"
Imran Khan - Satisfya Best Music Video Nominee at the 2013 BritAsia Awards

Film

After achieving tremendous success in the India music video market, in 2013 Zennie began to develop his first feature film, an edgy, action packed film with heart based in exotic

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, India. The film is currently in development with principal photography scheduled to begin in 2015.

Filmography

Music Videos ''Award Nominated/Winning'' ·2021- Guru Randhawa- Nain Bengali (DIRECTOR) ·2016- Bilal Saeed - PARANDAY (DIRECTOR) .2016- Mika Singh - BILLO ( DIRECTOR) •2015 - Imran Khan - Imaginary (Director/Editor) •2015 - L'Omari - Wonder Why •2015 - DJ Bliss feat. Mims - Shining •2014 – Dounia Batma – Hani Hani (Director) •2014 – Mohammed Assaf – Ya Hali Ya Mali (Director) •2013 - Shatha Hassoun – Khatiya (Director) •2013 - Karl Wolf – Go Your Own Way (Producer/Director/Editor) •2013 - Imran Khan – Satisfya - (Producer/Director/Editor no.1 in the world music)* •2013 - DJ Bliss feat. Kardinal Offishall – Let It Go (Producer/Director/Editor) •2012- Akshay Kumar –Long Drive from the Bollywood film Khiladi 786 (Co-Producer/Director) •2012- Yo Yo Honey Singh – S.A.T.A.N. (Filmed in Goa, India) (Director/Editor) •2012- Leo feat. Yo Yo Honey Singh – Break Up Party (Producer/Director/Editor) •2012 - Sandy feat. Karl Wolf – Awel Mara Atgaraa (Winner “Best Duet” and “Best Director” 2012 Middle East Music Awards) (Producer/Director/Editor)* •2012 - Joe Ashkar- TA3EE (2012 Murex D’or Nominee Best Arab Music Video of the Year) (Co-Producer/Director/Editor)* •2012 - Yo Yo Honey Singh - Brown Rang (#1 Trending YouTube video in India 2012, MTV India Award Winning) (Producer/Director/Editor)* •2012 - Sofia Marikh - Ta7t Enazar (Release Date TBD) (Producer/Director/Editor) •2011 -

- Brown Rang (#1 Trending YouTube video in India 2012, MTV India Award Winning) (Producer/Director/Editor)* •2011 - Hishaam - Doublin’ (Producer/Co-Director/Editor) •2011- Quincy Jones – Tomorrow/Bokra Making Of (Filmed in Doha, Qatar) (Director) •2011 - Sandy - Ahsan Men Kteer (Producer/Director/Editor) •2011 - Sandy- Ayza A’olak (Producer/Director/Editor) •2011 - Desert Heat - CruZin (Braun Campaign Track) (Producer/Director/Editor) •2011 - Karl Wolf - Get Fresh, Get Close ( Close Up Arabia Campaign Track) (Director/Editor) •2011 - Rakan - Stubborn (Producer/Director/Editor) •2011 - Rojeh - Shab Arabi (Producer/Director/Editor) •2010 - MC Amin - The General (Director/Editor) •2010 - Joseph Attieh - Mawhoum (2010 - 2011 Murex D’or Nominee Best Arab Music Video of the Year) (Producer/Director/Editor)* •2010 - Joseph Attieh - Taeb Al Shawk (2010 - 2011 Murex D’or Nominee Best Arab Music Video of the Year) (Producer/Director/Editor)* •2010 - Sandy - Hassal Khier (Producer/Director/Editor) •2010 - Layal Watfeh - Modernistic Manito ( Filmed in Beijing, China) (Director/Editor) •2010 -

Foreign Beggars Foreign Beggars were an English hip hop and dubstep group. Since their formation in 2002, the group's trajectory had seen them evolve from an underground hip hop group to an electronic crossover act. The group consisted of four artists individ ...

- Get A Bit More ( Filmed in London, UK) (Director/Editor) •2010 - S1 - Desert Dream (Producer/Director/Editor) •2010 - Young Vaughn - Loser (Producer/Director/Editor) •2009 - Qusai - That's Life (Director/Editor) •2009 - Qusai- Mother (Director/Editor) •2009 - The Truth - Can't you See PT 2 (Producer/Director/Editor) •2009 - E.B. - High (Producer/Director/Editor) •2009 - Desert Heat - Under Her Feet ( Sponsored By Hummer) (Producer/Director/Editor) •2009 - Omar Fights Back - Keep On Runnin’ (Producer/Director/Editor) •2008 - Jaxx - The Only Way (Producer/Director/Editor) •2008 - A-Class feat K-Young - I Like It (Producer/Director/Editor) •2008 - Kaz Money - The Hook (#1 MTV Arabia Video Chart) (Producer/Director/Editor) •2008 - Jaxxma - Here I Come (#1 MTV Arabia Video Chart) (Producer/Director/Editor) •2008 - Sham - One & Only (#1 MTV Arabia Video Chart) (Producer/Director/Editor)

Television

MBC – Wannasah • 2010 - Season 1 Bait Al Hip Hop TV Show (Sponsored by Pepsi) (Director)

Commercial

Al Sharqiya Television • 2014- 10 Year Anniversary TVC Chrysler 300S (Director) • 2013 - Salute To The Driven Class Mountain Dew (Director) • 2012- Dew Arabia “Dew Crew” Lay's Arabia (Producer/Director) • 2012 - Flavor Announcement- Pizza Flavor TVC Dubai Fighting Championships (Producer/Director/Editor) • 2012 - Promotional Video SuperMax (Director) • 2012- Kwik3 30 sec. Africa TVC • 2012- Kwik3 30 sec. English TVC Red Crescent (Charity/NPO) (Director) • 2010 - 60 sec. TVC Hope Campaign (Shot in Chun Chung China) • 2010 - 4 x 45 sec. TVC Ramadan Campaign • 2010 - 45 sec. TVC Education Campaign • 2009 - 60 sec. TVC Hajj Campaign • 2009 - 60 sec. TVC Ramadan Campaign • 2008 - 3x 45 sec. TVC Shadows Campaign Wrigley's Winterfresh Gum (Producer/Director/Editor) • 2003 - 15 sec USA National TVC ( Comedy Central, Fox, MTV)

Corporate

UAE Supreme Court (Director) • 2013 – 40 Year Anniversary Corporate Film Bank Of Khartoum (Producer/Director) • 2013 - Corporate Video, TVC & 9 Viral Shorts UAE Prime Minister's Office (Producer/Director) • 2013 - Government Summit Video Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) (Producer/Director) • 2012- Why Jafza? • 2012- Why Dubai? • 2012- Application Video Guide • 2012- Jafza Products Videos • 2012 - One Stop Shop Braun (Producer) • 2012 - Hair Pride Campaign Video Saudi Electricity Company (Producer/Director) • 2012 - Corporate Film Abu Dhabi Municipality (Director) • 2011 - Accomplishments Corporate Film Dubai Islamic Bank (Producer/Director) • 2012 - Excel to Excellence Corporate Film • 2011 - Accomplishments Corporate Film • 2010 - Historical Corporate Film Takaful Emarat Insurance (Producer/Director) • 2011 - Corporate Film and TVC Atlantis The Palm (Producer/Director) • 2011 - Brand Awareness Corporate Film • 2011 & 2010 - Training Film (Building Leaders & Engaging Services) • 2010 - Motivational Film Ajman Government (Director) • 2010 - Excellency Awards Corporate Film Secure Parking (Producer/Director) • 2010 - Online Promotional Video Dubai Airports (Producer/Director/Editor) • 2009 - Dubai Airports CEO Web Casts (Internal Corporate Communications) Dirat Ajdady Al-Waleed Bin Talal Charity/NPO (Co-Producer/Director/Editor) • 2009 - Awareness Film & Corporate Film (Shot in Jeddah, KSA) Paris Valley Perfume (Co-Producer/Director/Editor) • 2009 - Viral Video Campaign (5 x 60 sec Viral Videos) Mierc Training & Consulting (Producer/Director/Editor)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zennie, David 1980 births Living people Artists from Cincinnati American film directors Savannah College of Art and Design alumni