Mark Romanek
In the early 1990's my career was inspired and motivated by music video's, directors like David Fincher and Samuel Bayer. But one director who I believe broke the mold is Mark Romanek.
Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos. On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems and "Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," It is one of only two that the Museum of Modern Art has added to its permanent collection.