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Chris Applebaum
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHampshire College
OccupationDirector
Years active1992–present
Websitechrisapplebaum.com

Chris Applebaum is a music video director from Los Angeles, California. His videos including Miley Cyrus' Party in the U.S.A., Usher's Dive, and Demi Lovato's Heart Attack. 30 of his videos have reached #1 on the MTV charts.[1] Applebaum has also directed fitness videos, beauty product advertisements, and commercials for companies such as Skechers and Carl's Jr.[1]

Life and career

Early life and college

Applebaum was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, California[1] and studied film at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. At Hampshire College, he met tour manager Asia Kai Linn in 1989, whom he married six years later.[2]

While still in college, Applebaum began directing videos for independent rock bands. His first video was released in 1992 for Chicago band Material Issue's song Everything. When Applebaum was 19, MTV offered him an opportunity to join their On-Air Promos department in New York City.[3]

Chris Applebaum signed with Satellite Films at the age of 21, becoming their youngest ever signed director, and directed over 250 films under this contract.[2] In the 1990s, Applebaum founded a record label called Indi 500.[2]

Career and influence

The 1995 video for Better Than Ezra's "Good", directed by Applebaum, brought him a higher level of recognition. In the coming years, he would direct Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom", a Carl's Jr. commercial featuring Paris Hilton, and advertisements for CoverGirl and Smirnoff. His Carl's Jr. commercial was dubbed by BDS Neilsen as the most aired TV commercial of all time.[4]

In 2007, Applebaum's video for Rihanna's "Umbrella" was released. Applebaum later told Genius, "[Umbrella is] definitely the video that I'm the proudest of," and the video has yielded the highest sale rate of any music video on the iTunes store.[4]

Applebaum's video for "Stacy's Mom" influenced a campaign for Apple's iPod, and his video for Semisonic's Closing Time is credited for inspiring aspects of Season 6 of The X-Files.[citation needed] Applebaum has won several awards, including the 2010 MUCH Best International Video for Party in the U.S.A., the 2007 VMA Video of the Year award for Umbrella, and the 2006 MUCH Best Video for a Female Artist for S.O.S.[3]

Applebaum has also directed several other notable videos including "Party in the U.S.A.". The director claims that he now focuses on directing commercials rather than music videos.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Chris Applebaum". thisisfrank.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Brady, Lois Smith (January 29, 1995). "VOWS; Asia Linn and Chris Applebaum (Published 1995)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "PROFILE: Chris Applebaum, Reactor Films/Three Foot Giant". VideoStatic. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Horowitz, Steven J. (April 6, 2017). "The Making Of Rihanna's "Umbrella" Video, As Told By Its Director". Genius. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
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