Calmatic
Calmatic at Anderson .Paak's Grammy After Party in 2019
Born
Charles Kidd II

Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Director
  • writer
  • artist
  • fashion designer
Years active2008–present
Websitecalmatic.net

Charles "Chuck" Kidd II (born September 25, 1987), known professionally as Calmatic, is an American filmmaker. He is known mainly for directing several notable commercials music videos and films.

Early life

Calmatic was born Charles Kidd II on September 25, 1987. He was raised in South Central Los Angeles. This location would go on to provide inspiration for his films and music videos.[1] He has cited both Spike Lee and Spike Jonze as inspirations.[2] He graduated from University High School in 2005.[3]

Career

Calmatic gained widespread fame in 2019 for directing the video for "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, which won the 2019 MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Music Video. He has also worked with Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Anderson .Paak, Pharrell Williams, and Jay-Z, among others.

Calmatic has also done extensive work in commercial direction, creating ads for Target, Sprite, and numerous other brands.[1] His "All People Are Tax People" commercial for TurboTax premiered at the 2020 Super Bowl,[4] and he received the Ad Age Director of the Year award the same year.[5]

He directed the 2023 remake of the 1990 film House Party, developed by LeBron James, which was his feature length debut.[6] In 2023, he directed a reboot of the 1992 sports comedy film White Men Can't Jump for 20th Century Studios.[7] The film, starring Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow in his acting debut, was released on May 19, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Brown, Kailyn (August 25, 2019). "For 'Old Town Road' video director Calmatic, the ride begins in South L.A." Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Codega, Linda (March 23, 2020). "What keeps Calmatic pushing the edge of greatness?". shots.net.
  3. ↑ 2005 University High School Pawprints. Los Angeles. 2005. p. 36.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ↑ Woolever, Lydia (February 3, 2020). "Did That TurboTax Super Bowl Commercial Sound Familiar?". Baltimore Magazine.
  5. ↑ "2020 Creativity Award Winners". Ad Age. June 15, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ Kit, Borys (September 17, 2019). ""Old Town Road" Music Video Director Tackling 'House Party' Remake for New Line". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ↑ Kroll, Justin (30 November 2021). "'White Men Can't Jump' Remake At 20th Century Sets Calmatic As Director". Deadline Hollywood.
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