Director Seyi Peter-Thomas grew up in London before moving stateside to Washington, D.C. He attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of Arts, where his passion for filmmaking led him to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. There, his affinity for strong characters, comedic timing and vivid cinematography began to emerge.

​

Seyi began writing and directing On-Air Promos at MTV, and his partnership with the network yielded a prolific body of work.  His MTV Digital Abuse campaign became the centerpiece of President Obama’s Conference on Bullying Prevention, and he won an Emmy Award for The Kaiser Foundation’s Condom Factory PSAs. Seyi’s popular promo for MTV’s The Hard Times of RJ Berger was featured in the Cannes New Director’s showcase. And, his spot for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, a star-studded epic take on West Side Story, received a Creativity’s Platinum Award.

 

As a commercial director, Seyi’s eclectic body of work includes CLIO Gold winner, #ArnieWould for MasterCard, a touching commercial honoring late golfing legend, Arnold Palmer. His riveting campaign for non-profit organization Youth Ambassadors provided a somber twist on a children’s television show and was recognized at the Cannes Lions Festival.  Seyi’s, dramatic film based on the poem “How Do You Raise a Black Child?” screened in Academy-qualifying film festivals and garnered awards from One Show and The Webby’s.  As an AICP Next Award Winner, this film resides in the permanent collection at MoMa. In 2019, Seyi earned his second Emmy for directing a series of spots for Nickelodeon in honor of Black History Month.