2015-08-05



These big money Hollywood directors represent different thoughts, ideals and directing style; and they’re showing them off on Instagram.

Written By

Corporate Detective

Corporate Detective is a Wall Street research analyst with fifteen years in the game. Obsessed with patterns, this avid historian is a firm believer in the Nietzschean concept of The Eternal Recurrence. He finds comfort in finding the repetitive patterns of history, and hopes to someday find a means of breaking them. He follows current events and trends with the fervor of the staunchest detectives in the hopes of discovering the next big trends in the world of finance and politics.

When I was younger and thinking of potential careers, the movie industry always seemed attractive to me. The bright lights, the fame, the glamour, and obviously, the money. But since acting was not my forte, my voice was (and still is) a bit off key, and I’m not the best looker, directing seemed like the logical answer. And what a great career! film directing seeming to be the perfect mix of art and science, business and creativity. And let’s be honest the pay isn’t bad either right? In fact the pay is pretty huge depending on your filmography. While there are certain aspects of film-making they can’t always control, ultimately it is the skill of the director that determines whether a movie is good or bad. With so many different mediums available, we at The Corporate Culture decided to bring you a list of ten big money Hollywood directors with a strong Instagram presence. Even just a few years ago, a director who insisted on artistic control was a troublemaker. Hollywood followed a strict formula. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. These directors do not represent a single school of thought, movement, generational ideal or directing style. We are living in a time of cinematic bounty and these directors are showing that they are not to be forgotten.

10. Ava DuVernay

A photo posted by Ava DuVernay (@directher) on
Oct 30, 2014 at 8:08am PDT

Ava DuVernay is a writer, producer, director and distributor of independent film. Ava made her directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed 2008 hip hop documentary, This Is The Life, a history of LA's Good Life Cafe's arts movement. Ava began with documentaries because they can be done on a smaller budget and she could learn the trade as she went. In 2010, she wrote, financed, produced and directed her first narrative feature, I Will Follow. The family drama was hailed by critic Roger Ebert as "one of the best films I've seen about the loss of a loved one." Ava wrote, produced and directed the dramatic feature, Middle Of Nowhere, which earned her the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Best Director Award. In 2013, she directed a sweeps episode of ABC's top-rated Scandal, as well as acclaimed fashion and beauty films for Fashion Fair and Prada. Her most recent film, Selma, chronicles the historic 1965 voting rights campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‎and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. She is the first black female director to have received this nomination. Ava has directed several network documentaries, including Venus Vs for ESPN. Prior to filmmaking, Ava worked as a marketer and publicist for 14 years. Her award-winning firm provided strategy and execution for more than 120 film and television campaigns for acclaimed directors such as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Michael Mann and Bill Condon. A graduate of UCLA, Ava is the founder of AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Based in Los Angeles, Ava sits on the board of both Film Independent and the Sundance Institute.

One Dream Can Change The World

From the Oscar-winning producers of 12 Years a Slave and acclaimed director Ava DuVernay comes the true story of courage and hope that changed the world forever. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still rampant in certain areas, making it very difficult for blacks to register to vote. In 1965, an Alabama city became the battleground in the fight for suffrage. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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9. Martin Scorsese

A photo posted by Martin Scorsese (@martinscorsese_) on
Nov 4, 2013 at 4:34am PST

Martin Scorsese is a director, producer, screenwriter, historian and part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. Widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinema history, he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, in 1990, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation. He is a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema, and has won an Academy Award, a Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award, Silver Lion, Grammy Award, Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and DGA Awards. Martin's works address themes such as Sicilian-American identity, guilt, redemption, machismo, modern crime, and gang conflict. Martin earned a B.S. degree in film communications in 1964, followed by an M.A. in the same field in 1966 at New York University's School of Film. During this time, he made numerous prize-winning short films including The Big Shave (1968), and directed his first feature film, Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967). He has directed landmark films such as the crime film Mean Streets (1973), the comedy-drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), the vigilante-drama Taxi Driver (1976), New York, New York (1977), The Last Waltz (1978), the biographical sports drama Raging Bull (1980), the black comedy The King of Comedy (1983), The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), the crime film Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), and Kundun (1997), Gangs of New York (2002), the biopic The Aviator (2004), and many other films. Martin won the Academy Award for Best Director for the crime drama The Departed (2006). With eight Best Director nominations to date, he is the most nominated living director, and is tied with Billy Wilder for the second most nominations overall.

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8. Judd Apatow

A photo posted by Judd Apatow (@juddapatow) on
Jun 30, 2013 at 1:22pm PDT

Judd Apatow is an American screenwriter, producer, director, actor, comedian, and founder of Apatow Productions. Judd developed the cult television series Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared and Girls but did not have the greatest success in television. In 2004, he produced the feature film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. The film was a box office success and Judd co-produced the 2013 sequel. In 2007 Judd made his feature directorial debut in 2005 with the hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The film opened at No. 1, grossed more than $175 million globally, and garnered numerous awards and nominations, including being named one of AFI's Top Movies of the Year, taking home Best Comedy Movie at the 11th annual Critics' Choice Awards, earning Judd a nomination for Best Original Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America, and received four MTV Movie Award nominations. Knocked Up was released in June 2007 to wide critical acclaim, continuing Judd's newfound mainstream success. Judd brought the world Superbad, Pineapple Express, Talladega Nights, and Bridesmaids among many others. This one time roommate of actor Adam Sandler tries to keep a low budget on his projects and usually makes his movies about the work itself rather than using big stars. He regularly works with the same actors on an ongoing basis, including Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Jason Segel, and also tends to work with his close friends and family; his wife Leslie Mann can stand her own in the world of comedy.



7. Quentin Tarantino

#tarantinoxx

A photo posted by Quentin Tarantino (@tarantinoxx) on
Jan 10, 2015 at 2:18pm PST

Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and moved with his mother to Torrance, California, when he was four years old. Quentin’s films are characterized by non-linear storylines, satirical subject matter, and an aestheticization of violence, as well as features of neo-noir film. He grew up with a film obsession, working at a video rental store while training to act. His career began in the late 1980s, when he wrote and directed the screenplay for True Romance. In January of 1992, Quentin began his career as an filmmaker when Reservoir Dogs appeared at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was regarded as an instant classic and cult hit and was called the "Greatest Independent Film of All Time". Two years later, Quentin followed with his second film, Pulp Fiction, a classic neo-noir style crime film. Pulp Fiction premiered at the Cannes film festival, winning the coveted Palme D'Or Award. At the 1995 Academy Awards, it was nominated for the best picture, best director and won best original screenplay. Since then, Tarantino has helmed many critically and financially successful films, including Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Inglourious Basterds (2009), and Django Unchained (2012). Kill Bill, a highly stylized "revenge flick" in the cinematic traditions of Japanese martial arts, spaghetti westerns and Italian horror, was released as two films. Quentin also directed Death Proof (2007) as part of a double feature with friend Robert Rodriguez, under the collective title Grindhouse. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time in 2005.

6. Roland Emmerich

Anybody want to take this thing for a spin? Get an exclusive first look at the Moon Tug! #IndependenceDayLive #selfiefromset

A photo posted by Roland Emmerich (@rolandemmerich) on
Jun 22, 2015 at 5:59pm PDT

A lot of people call him the "Master of Disaster" but Roland totally works too. Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films, most of which are English-language, Hollywood productions, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide. His films have grossed just over $1 billion in the United States, making him the country's 14th-highest grossing director of all time. Roland began his career in his native Germany. In his youth, he pursued painting and sculpting. While enrolled in the director's program at film school in Munich, his university thesis Das Arche Noah Prinzip (The Noah's Ark Principle, 1984) went on to open the 1984 Berlin Film Festival. The feature became a huge success and was sold to more than 20 countries .He also co-founded Centropolis Entertainment in 1985 with his sister. Roland is most well known for the 1994 science-fiction film Stargate, Godzilla which opened in 1998, and Independence Day, the 1996 alien invasion feature that became the first film to gross $100 million in less than a week and went on to become one of the most financially successful films of all time He is a collector of art, an active campaigner for the LGBT community, and is openly gay.

Independence Day

On July 2nd, communications systems worldwide are sent into chaos by a strange atmospheric interference. In the epic adventure film "Independence Day," strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. First thought to be meteors, as these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived; its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

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5. Ron Howard

Movie making on the canals of #Venice Another creative adventure for yours truly

A photo posted by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on
Apr 29, 2015 at 11:14am PDT

Ronald William Howard, known as Ron Howard, is an actor, producer, film director, and is among the most experienced personalities in the entertainment industry and one of the highest gross earners. Ron did not become the renowned celebrity he is today or one of the top 10 highest paid film directors in 2014 by chance. His parents were both in the industry; his mother was a popular American actress and his father is a world-renowned actor, writer, and director. In his teen years, Ron was already learning the ropes and essential of film production courtesy at Desilu Studios. He studied at John Burroughs for his High School and later joined the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Even though he did not complete college, Ron did not let his failure blur his future. He worked hard to accomplish the goals he had set in his life. Ron has enjoyed a successful acting career, appearing in many television shows, one being The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) where he played Opie Taylor, and in the sitcom Happy Days where he played Richie Cunningham (1974- 1980). The transition from child actor to adult actor is always difficult, but for Ron the real transition was from child actor to adult director. While he starred in many internationally broadcasted movies such as American Graffiti in 1973 and the Shootist in 1976, his dream and now his focus was directing. In 1977, he made his directorial debut with Grand Theft Auto. Since then, he has produced and many award winning blockbusters such as A Beautiful Mind, which earned him a Best Director’s Academy Award. Other notable films under his belt are Apollo 13, Cocoon, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Ron won the National Medal of Arts, is a 2013 inductee in the Television Hall of Fame, and now earns an average of 90.3 million dollars per film.

4. Tim Burton

A photo posted by Tim Burton (@timburton_) on
Feb 1, 2015 at 2:02am PST

Tim Burton has many other talents apart from simply directing. A stop motion artist, a producer, a poet, a writer, and a world-renowned artist, Tim started honing his directing skills at a young age. By the time he was 13, he was already shooting 8 mm films and refining them using crude stop-motion animation techniques. While in college, Tim was awarded a fellowship from Disney, and while his films are dark, gothic, macabre, fantastical, and filled with quirky horror (far removed from mainstream Disney films), Disney let him have the freedom to work on his own personal projects. While his 27-minute live-action film Frankenweenie (1984) was judged unsuitable and never released, it caught the attention of Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman), who saw it and decided that Burton, still only in his mid-twenties, would be the ideal person to direct his feature debut, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). The success of that film gave Tim the chance to release the supernatural comedy Beetlejuice (1988), which in turn led to Burton being entrusted with the reins on the hugely expensive Batman (1989). Although his least personal film, it was one of the most successful films of all time, and gave him unprecedented power in Hollywood. Edward Scissorhands (1990), another hit, established a fruitful working relationship with actor Johnny Depp. Tim has found his passion, perfected it, and has never looked back since. To date, he has produced over 13 films and directed over 16. Some of his most popular works that continue to please audiences worldwide are The Nightmare before Christmas, Dark Shadows, Corpse Bride, Sleeping Hollow, Sweeney Todd, and Alice in Wonderland. In 1997, Tim wrote and illustrated the poetry book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, and a compilation of his artwork entitled The Art of Tim Burton was released in 2009.

3. Christopher Nolan

#following#memento#insomnia#chrisnolan#christophernolan#batmanbegins#theprestige#thedarkknight#inception#thedarkknightrises#interstellar

A photo posted by Christopher Nolan Fan Page (@nolanites) on
Jun 12, 2014 at 11:26am PDT

Christopher Jonathan James Nolan, known as Christopher Nolan, is a British American screenwriter, producer, and film director. Christopher developed a passion for producing and directing films at a tender age. By the time he was 11-years-old, he was already an aspiring filmmaker, using his father’s Super 8 camera to shoot short films. Instead of letting his creativity limit his potential, he explored it to the fullest and finally got his calling. Well educated, Christopher studied at the Haileybury and Imperial Service College at Hertfordshire, England before proceeding to University College London (UCL) to study English literature. While at UCL, Christopher collaborated with his then girlfriend, using the Universities advanced facilities to screen interesting 35 mm feature films that brought him fame and earned him a little money. Because of his hard work and zeal to succeed, he is now one of the most successful directors globally. Since his debut in the entertainment industry in 1998 with the film The Following, Christopher has directed and produced many movies that continue to impress audiences to date. In 2000 and 2002, his feature films Memento and Insomnia received good ratings from other directors and movie enthusiasts alike, and helped him cement his places among the fasted rising film directors and producers at the time. Other notable creations of Christopher are The Prestige in 2006, The Dark Knight Trilogy, an epic series that aired between 2005 and 2012, and one of his greatest, Inception in 2010. Due to his success rebooting the Batman character, Warner Bros. enlisted Nolan to produce their revamped Superman movie Man of Steel (2013). His sci-fi film Interstellar, was released in November 2014. Christopher has won many international nominations and awards (BAFTA Britannia Award, three Academy Award Nominations, and Career Development Awards) for his contribution in the entertainment industry. Christopher pockets an average 433 million dollars per film directed.

2. Tyler Perry

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