From the genre’s humble beginnings in the ’70s to the “I want my MTV”-era explosion of production in the ’80s; from the seven-figure budgets of the ’90s straight up to today with Director X’s own ground-breaking output, each episode of Video Star examines the
artistry, craft, and cultural legacy of a single, iconic music video. Music writers and pop culture pundits place each video within a historical context, while musical artists and creative teams speak to production elements including direction, production design, cinematography, and choreography. Further, the creators reflect on the inspiration for each video as well as the collaboration between the musical artist and director.
“From their inception to today, music videos impact youth culture worldwide, influencing music, dance, fashion, language, and art, but they are not given the reverence they deserve,” said Julien Christian Lutz, (known professionally as Director X). “Video Star will give the art form its due as we document the past, present, and future – looking at the music, the visuals, and the artists that made them.”
“Julien is one of the most gifted and acclaimed music video directors of all time and we’re absolutely delighted to partner to with him and the team at Fela on this series,” said John Brunton, Chairman, CEO, and Executive Producer for Insight Productions. “Video Star is the latest iteration in a decades-long tradition of music-focused programming at Insight. It’s in our DNA.”
“Insight is and has been a staple in Canada's music media landscape for decades,” said Dean Rosen, Chief Operating Officer, Fela. “The partnership made immediate sense to X, Taj, and myself and we're excited to create something special together.”
Among the stories to be explored are Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf”; Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice”; Madonna’s archetypal catalogue; Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”; Missy Elliot’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”; Drake’s “Hotline Bling”; George Michael’s “Freedom 90”; Beyoncé’s “Formation”; and Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”.
For 25 years, Director X has crafted career-defining visuals for superstar recording artists including Drake, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Kanye West, Rosalia, Ariana Grande, Usher, Sean Paul, Alicia Keys, and more. Fela, Director X and Critchlow’s production company, prides itself on developing the next generation of cultural storytellers. Its roster of directors includes the award-winning Karena Evans, who rose to prominence directing music videos like “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What” for Drake, “Everyday Life” for Coldplay, and “Garden” for SZA.
Insight Productions’ long history of music programming includes 28 editions of The JUNO Awards, Canada’s national music award show; The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a live concert special watched by one in three Canadians; Canadian Idol, one of Canada’s all-time highest rated series; and the award-winning Joni Mitchell: Painting With Words and Music, among many, many others. Insight is also currently developing Eurovision Canada with the former producers of Eurovision Song Contest.
For Fela, Julien Christian Lutz, Taj Critchlow (both Co-Founders and Managing Partners at Fela) and Dean Rosen, Fela’s COO, serve as executive producers. For Insight Productions (a Boat Rocker company), John Brunton and John Murray serve as executive producers; Kari Hollend is the producer and originated the concept; Tanya Low is the VP of Development.
