Director's Works
ZEN PACE is an award-winning commercial, music video, and narrative director. Their work has been nominated for an Emmy twice, won Best Animated Short at Provincetown, and premiered on NOWNESS, Directors Notes, Free The Work, MUSE, PAPER, and more. Narratively, their films have been selected at Tribeca Film Festival, BFI, shortlisted for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, and screened at Palm Springs, Aesthetica, LA Shorts, and others. In the commercial space, their work has won multiple Gold ADDY Awards and been a finalist at Ad Age, 1.4, Berlin Commercial, and the Clio Awards. Zen has directed campaigns for brands including XBOX, GUCCI, Samsung, META, Brooks, and CBS. Their love for film comes from the communal act—lending their eye to something larger than themselves. Their work carries the presence of an old soul, always searching for deeper truths to explore.
This piece features celebrity streamer and brand Kai Cenat who is doing something no other influence is. Hiring full production companies and agencies to create his own trailers for his gaming stream marathons that bring in millions of followers. For this one, his fans have been asking Kai to play Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. To hype up the marathon, Kai teamed up with Black Screen Productions and my creative agency, No Face Studio, to produce a cinematic trailer that matched the intensity of his challenge. As the director, I drew inspiration from Kill Bill, Under The Skin, Sin City, and classic samurai tropes to craft a visceral, high-energy trailer. We put Kai in a harness to capture Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-style flying sword fights to also recreating the horror of the game’s unbeatable bosses, my goal was to channel the spirit of the game into every frame. Working alongside director of photography Gaul Porat, we pushed the visuals to mirror the gritty, immersive world of Sekiro, creating a piece that set the stage for Kai’s unforgettable marathon.