Director X
Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian music video director. A protégé of fellow director Hype Williams, Lutz has been credited for directing over a hundred music videos for numerous high-profile artists spanning various genres since 1998, including Jay-Z, Drake, Future, John Mayer, Kanye West, DJ Khaled, Usher, Ice Cube, Fabolous, Mystikal and Akon, among others. In film, he directed the crime thriller Superfly in 2018, which saw mixed reception. In television, he created the short-lived action drama Robyn Hood in 2023.
Director X
- X
- Little X
- Mr. X
- Music video director
- film director
- producer
1998–present
Early life[edit]
Lutz was born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, mostly in and around Brampton, and is of mixed Trinidadian and Swiss descent.[1]
Career[edit]
Early work[edit]
Lutz began his career working on several productions; he was a visual consultant on Hype Williams' 1998 film Belly.[2] Lutz was slated to direct Disney's horror feature Razorwire, though the film never moved into production.[3]
Music videos[edit]
After working on several of his projects, Lutz became a protégé of Hype Williams.[4] Since the late 1990s, Lutz has directed dozens of music videos for popular artists and been noted for his high-budget, visually distinctive music videos for popular hit singles, including videos for The Wanted, R. Kelly, Usher, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Korn, David Guetta, Nelly Furtado, Sean Paul, Justin Bieber, Drake, Nicki Minaj, T.I., Little Mix, Rihanna, Union J, Fifth Harmony, Miguel, One Direction, Zayn Malik and Iggy Azalea. In 2004, Lutz appeared in Mya Baker's documentary film Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America.[5]
In 2015, Lutz founded his own production company, Popp Rok, in Toronto.[6] In 2017, he appeared on episode 7 of Cycle 23 of America's Next Top Model ("X Marks The Spot") as the director for a Gypsy Sports-themed music video.[7]
Books