Knucklehead Welcomes Two New Directors: Lieven Van Baelen & Zak Razvi

Knucklehead is pleased to welcome Lieven Van Baelen to their roster in North America, Asia and the UK. Lieven is internationally renowned for his highly visual directing style, which he often blends with reality-bending post production techniques.    

Lieven Van Baelen began his career as a telecine colourist before moving behind the lens as the draw of the camera became too strong to ignore. Several years as one of Belgium’s foremost Directors of Photography allowed him to shoot countless award-winning commercials and music videos, and he took his first steps as a Director in 1999 with the production of his short feature film The Thread. His Directing career flourished very quickly, earning acclaim for his Dexia spot Club Brugge, and winning awards at Eurobest and a Gold CCB Award. 

Always hungry to keep evolving his craft, Lieven has become a highly sought-after director of major global campaigns for brands such as Heineken, Grolsch, Canon, Coca-Cola, Renault and Ikea.

He is known to draw the viewer into the frame with a deft use of post-production techniques, as seen in his Born to Thrill spot for Nissan, in which Lieven creates an electrifying journey through sky, ground, and water to show the assembly of the Nissan Juke. The film was shortlisted in the Best Visual Effects category by the London International Awards.

Knucklehead’s Matthew Brown is “delighted to welcome Lieven to the roster. His visual sensibility is a great fit for us and his unique technical skill wins him a unique space in the stable.”

Lieven adds “I’ve been a fan of Knucklehead for a while.’ While tucking into his dinner he adds ‘joining them feels like eating french fries for the first time!”

Knucklehead is also pleased to announce the signing of Shots New Director of the Year 2015 winner Zak Razvi for global representation.

Having worked his way up the agency producer ladder and making his mark production company side, Zak has made the transition to directing with a bang. His first ever film - Jordanne - has been a hit on the festival circuit, winning awards worldwide and putting him firmly on the map as the UK’s hottest young director as heralded by both Kinsale’s Sharks and London’s Shots Festivals.    

“Zak combines talent and charm, he’s definitely won us over,” says Tim Katz. “He is a great networker with lots of energy and ambition. We’re looking forward to building his career as a Knucklehead.”

Zak says: “I've always admired the high level of creative output that Knucklehead consistently produces. To be joining the talented roster within such a well-respected company is massively exciting.“