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 (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

Mohammad Assaf Mohammed Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf (; born 1 September 1990) is a Palestinian pop singer well known for being the winner of the second season of ''Arab Idol'', broadcast by the MBC network. His victory received worldwide coverage from the media a ...

and

Yo Yo Honey Singh Hirdesh "Honey" Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, is an Indian singer, rapper and record producer, music producer who commenced his career as a hip-hop record producer, music producer in 2003 with his unde ...

. He splits his time between

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

Early career

Zennie was born and raised in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

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 A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

for Wrigley's Chewing Gum which was shown across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

. 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. ...

he went on to study film at the

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

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 an International song with Punjabi as it's language which is written, composed and performed by Yo Yo Honey Singh. The record was released on 11 November 2011 as part of Singh's '' International Villager''. The music video was ...

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 Mithun Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, Raj Babbar, Asin (in her penultimate Hindi film appearance), Himesh Reshammiya, and Mukesh Rishi. It ...

starring Bollywood action superstar

Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...

and

Asin Thottumkal Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononyomusly as Asin, is an Indian former actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu films. Asin is a recipient of List of awards and nominations ...

. In 2013, he directed a music video

Satisfya "Satisfya" is a Dutch-Punjabi hip-hop single by Imran Khan, released on 10 May 2013 via his independent record label called IK Records. The song has crossed 940+ million views on YouTube as per November 2024. Reception As of 1 June 2023, the so ...

for

IMRAN KHAN Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...

. The music video shows Khan driving a yellow

Lamborghini Aventador The Lamborghini Aventador () is a mid-engine, two passenger sports car manufactured and marketed by Lamborghini from 2011 until 2022. Named after a prominent Spanish fighting bull that fought in Zaragoza, Aragón, in 1993, the Aventador suc ...

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

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 FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

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, Beats by Dre or simply Beats) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded in 2006 by the music producer Dr. Dre and ...

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, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

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 e ...

. 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 is an Indian pay television channel specialising in music, reality and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 as the Indian version of the original American network and is owned by JioStar, under a license agreement with Par ...

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 bound by 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 music, 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 a ...

- 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 Film directors from Ohio Savannah College of Art and Design alumni