PEOPLE

Joesph Kahn is the director behind some of today’s most

iconic music videos

Jersey Village High School graduate and music video, film, and commercial director Joseph Kahn is responsible for some

of the most iconic music videos since the 90’s

Phot

o by

Rick

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54 • The grand finale issue

EMINEM

Without Me

TAYLOR SWIFT

Bad Blood

BRITNEY SPEARS

Toxic

Dr. DREKush

KATY PERRY

Waking up in Vegas

point of view,” he says. But at that time, there was no media department or “JVTV.” Had there been, he might not be the videographer he is today. “My film-making came from a space of having no friends and not being social. Now that it is a social thing, I probably would have switched to something like PR,” he jokes. His senior year he created two teams for a history fair and both won. “The idea of having teams that you could create projects under was really fun for me. That’s what helped me become a director,” says Kahn.

Carving His PathSome of his first jobs started the summer after high school for local bands and rap groups for $40 to $100 a video. After attending NYU for a year-and-a-half he moved home, saved up $500, and created around 30 low-budget videos. His very first video was with Rapalot Records and he was given $15,000 to serve as his own cinematographer, editor, and production designer. He started flying to music capitals L.A. and New York, and pulling clients to fly to Houston for videos, and soon people were flying in from around the world. Kahn eventually moved to L.A. to pursue his passion.

Art and InspirationKahn gets his inspiration less from art and more from things going on in the world. “When I was younger I would take ideas from other movies, but that wasn’t adding anything to the conversation.” Kahn likes to use social media as a portal

Written by Krista FriedliSelect photography courtesy of Joseph Kahn

Joseph Kahn was just a regular kid at Jersey Village High School (JVHS), wandering the halls with his camcorder in hand. He often visited the Champion Forest subdivision and would gaze at the large homes and dream of one day living that type of lifestyle.

Little did he know that the same high schooler that walked the aisles of Best Buy coveting video equipment would one day be standing on stage next to Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, accepting a Grammy for Best Music Video of the Year. He didn’t get there overnight. He took risks, started from the bottom, broke boundaries, and became one of the most successful videographers in the industry.

JVHS’s First Videographer Kahn, born in Korea, moved to the Cy-Fair area when he was 9 years old. “Moving to a Texas suburb gave me a great perspective of America, which has been a very important component of my pop culture career,” says Kahn. He was able to see what it was like to grow up in a suburb as an American, giving him the ability to really connect and communicate with his future audience.

While at JVHS, Kahn received a lot of production experience through drama classes. “That helped in terms of acting and what production felt like from an actor’s

“To step into art you have to step into the dark. There is no guarantee you will make it, and that’s the fun part about art.

If you’re willing to go there, that’s the best advice I can give you.”

- JOSEPH KAHN

A few of the music videos Kahn has produced

CY-FAIR MAGAZINE SuMMER 2016 • 5554 • thE GRANd FINAlE ISSuE

to keep track of what people are interested in. “I am getting much more out of it than the people interacting with me are. If I am a dealer of pop culture, I am taking my own medicine by interacting on social media.”

His greatest challenge is coming up with something he hasn’t already created. “When you’re first starting out, everything seems new. I’ve done so many things that not only am I trying to not copy other people, I’m trying to not copy myself,” says Kahn.

Working with America’s Biggest StarsKahn says he loves working with anyone and everyone, but you can tell who he really enjoys working with by who he has repeated videos with, such as Taylor Swift, Eminem, and Britney Spears. After finishing a video from an artist of one genre, Kahn welcomes the challenge of switching gears. “It’s always fun when I work with an artist that is completely different than the last one. I’m really looking forward to working with One Republic after just filming Taylor Swift,” says Kahn. It is a change of pace for him because it makes him feel a little uncomfortable, creating a shift in creativity. “Lack of comfort fuels better art. If all you’re doing is communicating with people exactly like yourself, you really aren’t making anything interesting.”

A memorable moment on set for Kahn was with Taylor Swift while they were filming a Target commercial where he took snapshots of her running around New York. “Taylor’s mom was on set and there was a moment on a bridge where I was photographing Taylor and she asked if I would take a photo of her and her mom. It was just such a sweet, real-girl thing to do. She was a normal girl in New York City, experiencing something no one else got to experience,” says Kahn.

Creating Your Own StepsVideography, like the NBA, is one of the hardest careers to get into but Kahn advises others to work hard and chase your dreams, but not everyone can be Michael Jordan. “If I can achieve things from the unlikely place of Jersey Village, Texas and succeed in Hollywood, that means that if you apply dedication to anything you do, you can become the biggest lawyer, a great politician, or a phenomenal doctor as long as you work really hard for it,” says Khan.

He didn’t follow anyone’s footsteps and he advises others to create their own. “To step into art you have to step into the dark. There is no guarantee you will make it, and that’s the fun part about art. If you’re willing to go there, that’s the best advice I can give you,” says Kahn. “As independent as I am, as hard as I’ve worked, and as much as I believe that I have created my own destiny, every step that I’ve taken someone has been there letting me step.” CFM

Kahn receiving his MTV Music Video of the Year Award with Taylor Swift for “Bad Blood” featuring Kendrick Lamar

Kahn began his production career in Houston and soon moved to L.A.

Kahn visits his alma mater JVHS and talks to students about video production

KRISTA FRIEDLI has made it her mission to appear as an extra in Joseph Kahn’s next music video with Taylor Swift.

Photo by Christine Le

56 • thE GRANd FINAlE ISSuE

Won two Grammys for Best Video of the Year

- “Bad Blood” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar - “Without Me” Eminem

Received the Icon Award from the UK Music Video Awards in 2014

Directed commercials for Samsung, Johnny Walker, Acura, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Budweiser, Miller, Bacardi, Adidas, Asics, Target, Coors Light, Nascar, and Playstation

Won the MVPA 2009 Best Video of the Year for Katy Perry’s “Waking up in Vegas”

Worked with Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Eminem, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Chris Brown, and more

JOSEPH KAHN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Photo by Yonhap New

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