The town of Bakersfield, California surrounded by country music, oil production, and agriculture is where Julian Acosta’s first artistic expressions were born. Driven by wanderlust and a deep-seated love of music, Julian played drums in some bedroom punk bands in his teens and early twenties. He bounced around the States in his early twenties, and revered the rich backdrop of Americana he witnessed.

The first member of his family to graduate college, Julian attended Brigham Young University. A quixotic, cross-country road trip from Utah to Wisconsin to produce a no-budget music video for his favorite indie band awakened him to filmmaking (despite a technical glitch ruining all his footage). These are the years that shaped Julian’s worldview. His spiky aggression and teenage earnestness matured into a signature poetic realist filmmaking style, leading to his unique and original commercial work for Hyundai, JBL, Delta Air Lines, Utah Jazz, KFC, Lennar Homes, Comcast, Coca-Cola, and Smart Car. And his passion in music soon led to directing performance videos for John Legend, Passion Pit, MIA, Foster the People, Band of Horses, Ellie Goulding, and the Shins.

Much of his work is about self-discovery and celebration. Always up for an adventure, the journey is at the heart of his work; from crackling fireworks in the late, late night, to exploring the unique sights one usually wouldn’t get to see in urban life. Acosta’s spots for Utah Jazz (“Rituals”) and JBL (“Pulse of the Draft”) showcase Acosta’s ability to use nostalgia, music, and simple shots to create magic and evoke emotion. His most recent commercial spots include Samsung Galaxy, Kaiser Permanente, Michelob Ultra, and Walmart.