All images via Instagram//
The Emmy-award winner discusses his inspirations, favourite musical collaborations and that one time when he double crossed two of the world’s biggest brands.
Sam Kristofski’s early career is perhaps best described by the old saying, ‘fake it ‘till you make it.’ While he’d first picked up a camera at age nine and later attended film school in Sydney, Sam embellished his filmmaking credentials to impress, and then successfully secure, his first-ever client at age 21.
“I set up a fake website and said I was a commercial director on a break in Sydney from Paris. When I met [the client], they figured out I wasn’t, but I guess that got their attention… Few lies went around back then but you’ve got to when you’re starting out,” Sam says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNLMYI4gbPA
While it may have started out on a half-truth, that’s not to say that Sam’s success since that first gig is undeserved. Currently 34, Sam’s experience undoubtedly upstages anything he’d falsely claimed in his early days, to the point where it’s now easier to list the big-name clients Sam hasn’t worked for.
Commercially, Sam has directed for the likes of Mentos and the LA Kings (see above), the latter of which even won him an Emmy for Best Short Promo in 2019. Even before these accolades, Sam recalls manning the director’s chair for what is arguably the world’s largest corporation, while somehow managing to simultaneously direct for its biggest competitor.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfAN9oTPvYM
“Coke is such an intense company, you almost have to go to ‘coke school’ to learn how they roll. I enjoyed my experience with them, but while I was shooting I also pitched on a Pepsi commercial. I didn’t tell either of them because they hadn’t seen the ads, so I was able to win the Pepsi job,” Sam says.
While he’s since stepped back from commercials, Sam’s music credentials are just as illustrious. Videos for The Jezabels, Broods and Pond form some of his experiences as a director, but it’s his years-long collaboration with Tame Impala that he’s enjoyed the most, combining everything he loves about the medium with a musician who’s also visually-inclined.
“I love music videos as they allow me to have freedom on a visual basis…The way the camera moves or how you shoot can say so much, and you learn this through music clips. Kevin Parker is so great to work with because he is such a great filmmaker himself. Also, the music is always so good,” he says.
With such a stacked list of credits to his name, the direction of Sam’s filmmaking career is now informed by the promise of the big screen. Vimeo has already stamped his short films with a ‘Staff Picks’ accolade, but for a director who counts Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg as inspirations, there’s hope that his Emmy will someday precede an Oscar.
“[Film] is where I want to be working towards more. It’s been the goal from a young age and where all my work is leading. You have an audience that chooses to see your work and you get to make them feel a particular way. It’s my greatest dream.”
For more of Sam’s work, head here to follow him on Instagram.
