User:TAJdirector

Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Taj gained a heavy interest in various street cultures, including graffiti art, rugged street fashion, and photography. Keeping an open mind, and attempting to find beauty in everything visible, Taj began to photograph some of the Bay Area's roughest parts, connecting with the true character of the neighborhoods and their subjects. Soon, Taj became eager to explore the world of film a bit more. In the summer of 2005, Taj began working as a production assistant under acclaimed music video director Anthony Mandler. Anthony, along with Taj's brother, Bobby Joseph, taught Taj to be unafraid of his own creative ideas and most importantly, to follow his instincts. Becoming extremely inspired by Mandler's work and teaching, Taj journeyed back to his home town of Oakland, CA to begin his own directing career. With a little under two-thousand dollars, a summer's worth of experience, and a natural eye for aesthetic, Taj sought out a local rap phenomenon, The Team. Offering to fund and direct a music video for The Team, Taj and The Team collaborated on what would be Taj's first music video production. Shortly after, Taj's work as a director and cinematic photographer began to gain local attention, soon catching the eyes of Boxfresh Pictures president, Lou Miguel. In September of 2006, Taj was added to Boxfresh's talented roster of directors and began his professional carrer as a filmmaker, directing videos for Def Jam recording artist, Rihanna ("Please Don't Stop The Music"), NAS "Hero", Ne-Yo ("12 Laws to Becoming a Gentleman"), Def Jam artist and legend, LL Cool J "Rockin With The G.O.A.T.", Jive / Zomba recording artist, The Pack, Sony / KOCH recording artist, Yung Berg (Do Dat), Def Jam recording artist Sterling Simms, 9th Ward, and commercials for Nike (RWS-"Africa"), and WB 33 Las Vegas, to name a few. Outside of the US, Taj's talents have taken him to Eastern Europe, the British Islands, and East Africa, where he worked with aspiring filmmakers in MTV's "Making The Video" Workshop to direct and produce international music videos and short films. In addition, Taj has done videos for artist such as Traxamillion, TVT recording artist, The A'z, and SNF Entertainment's, The Gift. Taj has also been featured on BET's "The 5ive" for "Career of the Month", MTV's "Making The Video", as well as Phat Farm's " The American Dream" ad campaign, where he was featured as a model, representing young, up and coming directors across America. Taj continues to write treatments with a goal in mind to make powerful connections with his viewers. Among many, Taj aspires to work with Coldplay, Lupe Fiasco, Linkin Park and Prince. Taj is now working on his first feature film, "The Beautiful", aimed to begin production in April 2008. Keep watching, Taj has a lot more to come. For PR Inquiries contact Elvira Guzman Elvira@elviegpr.com