Calmatic

Charles Kidd II (born September 25, 1987), known professionally as Calmatic, is an American filmmaker from Los Angeles known for music videos and commercials.[1]

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

(1987-09-25) September 25, 1987
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Director
  • Writer
  • Artist
  • Designer
Years active2008–present
Websitecalmatic.net

Biography

Calmatic was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, and is known for incorporating elements of Los Angeles into each video, as well as cartoonish humor and moments of comic relief.[2] He has cited both Spike Lee and Spike Jonze as inspirations.[3]

He 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.[4] A frequent collaborator with Vince Staples,[5] he directed the video to Staples' single "Fun!" as well as The Vince Staples Show on YouTube.[4][2]

Calmatic is also a commercial director, making ads for Target, Sprite, and other brands.[2] His "All People Are Tax People" commercial for TurboTax premiered at the 2020 Super Bowl,[6] and he received the Ad Age Director of the Year award the same year.[7] He directed the 2023 remake of the 1990 film House Party, developed by LeBron James, which was his feature length debut.[8] In 2021, Calmatic was set to direct a reboot of the 1992 sports comedy film White Men Can't Jump for 20th Century Studios.[9]

References
  1. Diaz, Ann-Christine (June 15, 2020). "Calmatic brings exuberance and a fresh eye to well-trod terrain in ads and music videos". Ad Age.
  2. Brown, Kailyn (August 25, 2019). "For 'Old Town Road' video director Calmatic, the ride begins in South L.A." Los Angeles Times.
  3. Codega, Linda (March 23, 2020). "What keeps Calmatic pushing the edge of greatness?". shots.net.
  4. Holt, Brianna (August 24, 2020). "The Story Behind Pharrell and Jay-Z's "Entrepreneur" Video". Complex.
  5. Corcoran, Nina (August 22, 2019). "Vince Staples releases first episode of The Vince Staples Show, plus new single "So What?": Stream". Consequence. Archived from the original on 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  6. Woolever, Lydia (February 3, 2020). "Did That TurboTax Super Bowl Commercial Sound Familiar?". Baltimore Magazine.
  7. "2020 Creativity Award Winners". Ad Age. June 15, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  8. Kit, Borys (September 17, 2019). ""Old Town Road" Music Video Director Tackling 'House Party' Remake for New Line". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Kroll, Justin (30 November 2021). "'White Men Can't Jump' Remake At 20th Century Sets Calmatic As Director". Deadline Hollywood.
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