Toben Seymour
Encyclopedia
Toben Seymour is a music video and commercial director, and puppeteer based in Los Angeles, California.
, Wisconsin
, and began making puppet
s in grade school. He attended film school at the University of Southern California
's School of Cinematic Arts, where he created Commondeer Productions with friends and filmmakers Ace Norton
and Asiel Norton, and got his start making low-budget video
s for local bands. His work has been featured in Anthem Magazine, American Cinematographer
, Modziq, Dazed and Confused and White Canvas among others. His work has also been featured at the SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand
and Berlin International Film Festival
. He is currently represented by Little Minx
at RSA Films
.
He has directed and puppeteer
ed videos for the Willowz, Kanye West
, Darker My Love
, Neon Blonde
, Pony Up, Moby
, Claire Denamur, Vincent Delerm
(featuring Irène Jacob
), Alphabeat
, Norah Jones
, N.E.R.D, Herman Düne
, Naïve New Beaters
, Louis XIV
, Maps
, Will.i.am
(featuring Cheryl Cole
) and more. Seymour also starred in Asiel Norton's debut feature "Redland", which premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival
in 2009. He appears in Ace Norton's video, "Chinatown," for Tahiti 80
.
Biography
Toben Seymour grew up in CedarburgCedarburg, Wisconsin
Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States with Cedar Creek running through it. The city is bordered by the Village of Grafton to the east and the Town of Cedarburg elsewhere...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and began making puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s in grade school. He attended film school at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's School of Cinematic Arts, where he created Commondeer Productions with friends and filmmakers Ace Norton
Ace Norton
Ace Norton is a music video and commercial director.-Biography:Norton grew up in Venice, and is the son of writer/director Bill Norton Junior and grandson of motion picture screenwriter William Norton Senior.Norton spent most of high school shooting short films...
and Asiel Norton, and got his start making low-budget video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s for local bands. His work has been featured in Anthem Magazine, American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer is a monthly magazine published by the American Society of Cinematographers.American Cinematographer focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, going behind the scenes on domestic and international productions of all shapes and sizes...
, Modziq, Dazed and Confused and White Canvas among others. His work has also been featured at the SXSW, Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
and Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. He is currently represented by Little Minx
Little Minx
Little Minx is a promotional organization founded by Rhea Scott in 1998 and partnered with Ridley Scott Associates. It works on creating artistic and commercial opportunities for its young directors of commercial and feature films...
at RSA Films
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
.
He has directed and puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
ed videos for the Willowz, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Darker My Love
Darker My Love
Darker My Love is an indie psychedelic rock band based in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of 5 members. Tim Presley, a former member of the band The Nerve Agents and also a visual artist responsible for much of the band's imagery, formed the band in 2004 and contributes vocals and guitar...
, Neon Blonde
Neon Blonde
Neon Blonde is an experimental rock musical group consisting of Johnny Whitney and Mark Gajadhar from The Blood Brothers. They are from Kirkland, Washington...
, Pony Up, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Claire Denamur, Vincent Delerm
Vincent Delerm
Vincent Delerm is a French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer. He is the son of the writer Philippe Delerm....
(featuring Irène Jacob
Irène Jacob
Irène Marie Jacob is a French-born Swiss actress considered one of the preeminent French actresses of her generation. Jacob gained international recognition and acclaim through her work with Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski, who cast her in the lead role of The Double Life of Véronique...
), Alphabeat
Alphabeat
Alphabeat are a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders SG and signed to Polydor Records. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2007 and a significant hit in the United Kingdom in 2008...
, Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, N.E.R.D, Herman Düne
Herman Düne
Herman Düne is a French duo, formed in 1999. Originally a trio, the band now consists of David-Ivar Herman Düne and Néman Herman Düne . Néman, who is from Switzerland, replaced former drummer Omé in early 2001...
, Naïve New Beaters
Naïve New Beaters
Naïve New Beaters is a French pop band from Paris. Their style incorporates elements from rap, rock and electro house. The band was formed in 2005 and found initial internet fame on YouTube in 2007 with the music video for their first single "BANG BANG" eventually receiving over 100,000 views...
, Louis XIV
Louis XIV (band)
Louis XIV was an American rock band from San Diego, California.-Beginnings: :Lead singer/guitarist Jason Hill, guitarist Brian Karscig, and drummer Mark Maigaard formed the group in April 2003 while living in Paris, France. Bassist James Armbrust soon joined after.Louis XIV, the band's first album,...
, Maps
Maps (band)
-Start Something:In 2006, he recorded his Start Something EP by himself on his 16-track recorder. He released it on his own record label, Last Space Recordings, and it was met with some critical acclaim. The single "Lost My Soul" polled at No. 26 in NMEs top 50 singles of 2006.-We Can Create:On 19...
, Will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
(featuring Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
) and more. Seymour also starred in Asiel Norton's debut feature "Redland", which premiered at the CineVegas Film Festival
Cinevegas
CineVegas was a film festival held annually at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas that ran from 1999 to 2009, typically in early June. Robin Greenspun serves as the Festival president, and Trevor Groth serves as artistic director. Actor Dennis Hopper is the chairman of the Festival's creative...
in 2009. He appears in Ace Norton's video, "Chinatown," for Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80
Tahiti 80 are a French indie pop band from Rouen and Paris. The group was founded in 1993 by Xavier Boyer, Pedro Resende, Médéric Gontier and Sylvain Marchand....
.
Videography
- Neon Blonde- "Headlines" (2005) - Official Selection SXSW
- The Willowz - "Cons & Tricks" (2006) - MTV2 Top Ten Video, Nominated for Best Video of the Year by MTV Subterranean
- Pony Up - "The Truth about Cats & Dogs (2006) - Official Selection Clermont-ferrand
- Unbunny - "Casserole" (2006)- producer
- Lying in States - "qg" (2006)
- The Duhks - "Out of the Rain (2006)
- Herman Dune - "I Wish That I Could See You Soon" (2006)
- The Willowz - "Jubilee" (2007)
- Maps - "You Don't Know Her Name" (2007)
- What Made Milwaukee Famous - "idecide" (2007)
- Herman Dune - "1-2-3 Apple Tree" (2007)
- Louis XIV - "Guilt By Association" (2008)
- Will.i.Am - "Heartbreaker" featuring Cheryl Cole (2008) - nominated for MOBO Best Video Award
- Moby - "I Love To Move In Here" (2008)
- Kanye West - "Champion" (2008)- puppetry
- Darker My Love - "Two Ways Out" (2008)
- Alphabea t- "What Is Happening" (2008)
- Vincent Delerm - "Un Temps Pour Tout" featuring Irene Jacob (2008)
- Herman Dune - "My Home Is Nowhere" (2008)
- Claire Denamur - "Prince Charmont" (2009)
- Claire Denamur - "In the Mood for Love" (2009)
- Marie Espinosa - "J'Annonce" (2009)
- Naive New Beaters - "Just Another Day" (2010)
- Norah Jones - "Young Blood" (2010)
- N*E*R*D - "Hot N Fun" official promo (2010)
- Jesse McCartney - "Shake" (2010)
- Herman Dune- "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" featuring Jon Hamm (2011)