Zack Sekuler is an American filmmaker, music video director, and musician. Notable music videos that he has directed include Sweater Weather (The Neighbourhood), Unsteady (X Ambassadors song), and

Misery (Gwen Stefani song) "Misery" is a song recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani for her third solo Album, studio album, ''This Is What the Truth Feels Like'' (2016). Initially released as a Promotional recording, promotional single, it became the record's third and f ...

. He has directed and produced music videos for a variety of artists across different genres.

Early life and education

Sekuler is from

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

. He studied at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

where he obtained a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. In high school, he was in a pop-punk band called "The Braces."

Music Videos

Sekuler had been friends with

Jesse Rutherford (singer) Jesse James Rutherford (born August 21, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, and former actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band the Neighbourhood and hardcore band Valley Girl. Alongside his bandmates, Ruth ...

and other members of

The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood (abbreviated as the nbhd) is an American alternative rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Marg ...

. He made the first video for the band, and then Sekuler and Daniel Iglesias Jr. teamed up to produce visual content for

. In 2013, Sekuler co-directed Sweater Weather (The Neighbourhood Song). The pair also directed the black and white music video for Afraid (The Neighbourhood song).

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

noted: "Taking a stark, literally naked look at the band, it also goes a detour through a slowed-down, purple alternate reality (no idea what ''that'' could be about) and a ''Memento''-like playthrough of its key sequences." The pair also co-directed the music video for Female Robbery. Sekuler produced a bright-colored music video for

's song called "Born to Be Blonde." He also produced 'Tunnelovision' for Rutherford. In 2020, Sekuler directed a music video for

EarthGang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu (aka Johnny Venus; born Olu Onyemachi Dakarai Fann) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot; born Eian Parker). They are co-founders of the musical collective S ...

's "Options" featuring

Wale (rapper) Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born September 21, 1984), known professionally as Wale ( ), is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2006 song "Dig Dug (Shake It)", which became popular in his hometown of Germantown, Maryland and led W ...

Pitchfork (website) ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres including pop, hip-hop, ...

called the video a "charming animated visual." He directed "CVS" for Winnetka Bowling League. The video features

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff, various accolades, including a World Music Awards, World Mus ...

Christopher Mintz-Plasse Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse (; born June 20, 1989) is an American actor primarily known for his debut role as Fogell/McLovin in '' Superbad'' (2007) and Chris D'Amico/Red Mist in the ''Kick-Ass'' franchise. Early life Christopher Mintz- ...

, and

Elisha Yaffe Elisha Yaffe is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. He has appeared in television shows including ''Better Call Saul'', '' The Newsroom'', ''Mad Men'', '' Southland'', '' Up All Night'', '' The New Normal'' and '' CSI: NY'' and voic ...

and was filmed in Los Angeles. The video was filmed in an actual CVS pharmacy. He also directed on "On the 5" for the band. Sekuler directed a music video for

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round". Kesha's music and ima ...

and

Wrabel Stephen Samuel Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles. Life and career Wrabel attended private high school at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texa ...

called "Since I Was Young." In the video, he reused video footage from their childhoods. Wrabel said of the video: "This video gave me goosebumps, made me cry, and prompted a late nite sappy mushy message to my family thanking them for loving me the way they do." Sekuler directed the

lyric video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of m ...

for

Louis the Child (DJs) Louis the Child is an American electronic music group consisting of Robby Hauldren and Frederic J. Kennett. Career Robert David Hauldren was born on September 7, 1996, to David and Julia Hauldren. He attended one academic year at the Universit ...

and

Wafia Wafia Al-Rikabi (born 4 August 1993), known professionally as Wafia, is an Australian singer-songwriter of Iraqi-Syrian origin. Originally studying biomedicine at university, she began to write songs to escape its monotony. Career Al-Rikabi s ...

's song called “Better Not.” He also directed "The Village" for

. In 2022, Sekuler directed a music video for

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

called "Finish Line." The video features video footage and images depicting life through the decades including the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The video highlights the joyous occasions of life as well as the challenges.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sekuler, Zack Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Film directors from Los Angeles California Institute of the Arts alumni People from Westlake Village, California American animated film directors