Julien & Justen Turner

Invisible Collective

What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
Our first professionally directed work was in January of 2021 when we landed our first brand commercial gig with A Ma Maniere as they launched their new sneaker deal with Air Jordan.

James Whitner hired us as directors with the intention to shoot narrative films in collaboration with each of their shoes drops. We would go on to shoot “Raised by Women,” a short narrative dedication to Black women and their impacts on our community. Since then, we’ve shot four A Ma Maniere X Air Jordan short stories and four Social Status X Nike short stories.

How did you get into directing?
We started directing as a hobby when we were just 10 (Justen) and 14 years old (Julien). Justen became obsessed with the process of video editing when he started experimenting on iMovie, while Julien became obsessed with writing. Without knowing what we were doing, we would cast and rehearse with our friends, location scout around our neighborhood and even do makeshift VFX using transitions. We’d then go to the movies every Friday and compare our film to what we would see on the screen and take notes on what we needed to improve our films to better mirror what we saw on the silver screen.

We went from shooting passion projects on a whim to slowly incorporating more and more of the formal production process. It would take us being well into our teens before we would call ourselves film directors, but we had been film directors since we were kids.

What is your most recent project?
Our most recent project is an upcoming installation of the Taco Bell campaign with Devante Adams. It is airing this fall during NFL football games.

What is the best part of being a director?
The best part about being a director is seeing a vision from the start to the finish line. Throughout our career, we’ve been intentional about learning and studying each and every creative wing of the filmmaking process, from music to art direction. So being able to see each part of the process come to fruition is amazing.

What is the worst part of being a director?
The worst part about being a director is probably giving up your brainchild to the care of other stakeholders. Although we all know feedback produces the best product, it’s always hard giving your baby to strangers (haha).

What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, television, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre–comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
We want to tell stories that entertain, inspire and uplift. We’ve found our niche in branded content and commercials and plan to expand our portfolios and seek opportunities that push our creativity, but we are simultaneously seeking to direct our debut feature film and pursue more opportunities in the film and television space.

We don’t have a particular genre specialization, but have found that drama, comedy, and sci fi are always fun for us to sink our teeth into.

Have you a mentor and if so, who is that person (or persons) and what has been the lesson learned from that mentoring which resonates with you?
We’ve had a handful of mentors so far in our career, but haven’t had one that is a filmmaker until recent. Most notably, Robert Townsend and Nate Parker have truly supported our vision as storytellers. The lesson from them that has the most with us is the power of independence. That is, the more you can do on your own, the more distinct your voice is. Although it may be a longer road to take, no one is going to care more about your ideas than you, and that’s okay. People buy into your confidence in yourself and your vision before they buy into what you’re selling.

Who is your favorite director and why?
Our favorite director is Christopher Nolan. His inventiveness is admirable—always pushing the boundaries in his storytelling through concepts, plot structure, and even technical filmmaking approaches. This pushes us in our thinking.

Our aim is to create through thought-provoking art, and he is the filmmaker that has always made us think.

What is your favorite movie? Your favorite television/online program? Your favorite commercial or branded content?
We both have a different top 5 film list, but we both agree that Parasite is one of the best films of this century, if not of all time. Bong Joon Ho’s attention to detail is a level of intricacy and intentionality we aspire to meet.

As far as television, there are too many to choose from! But recently we’ve watched Severance and think it was genius!

On the branded content side, we’ve always been fans of retro Nike commercials. These even inspired us in our projects with Nike. Namely, the 90s Spike Lee advertisements as well as Lebron’s retro advertisements.

Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
We grew up in Champaign, Illinois. We are the sons of a jazz musician and an accounting professor, so naturally we fell into filmmaking, right? We grew up playing music— piano and bass in church, cello in the orchestra, and piano in the jazz band. We were also athletes growing up, playing football and basketball. Julien played football all the way through Morehouse College, finishing as a senior captain and all-conference linebacker. Justen is currently a senior at Ohio State. Both studied/studying marketing with minors in fashion and urban studies.

We were blessed enough to have an operating production company by high school, so outside of internships at Adidas and Radio One, we’ve been self-employed throughout out schooling. Julien now serves as an associate art director for Hollister Co. at Abercrombie & Fitch’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

Have you had occasion to bring your storytelling/directorial talent to bear in the Metaverse, tapping into the potential of AR, VR, AI, NFTs and/or experiential fare? If so, tell us about that work and what lessons you have taken away from the experience?
Unfortunately, we have yet to have an opportunity to bring our storytelling to the Metaverse. We look forward to the opportunity to test the waters!

Contact

• The Invisible Collective