“I’m a producer, which in the simplest terms means I help creative people tell stories that reach audiences. I take an idea from inception all the way through to connection. I focus on producing indie non-fiction and fiction features. I also work in the studio system, branded content and commercials. I work as a strategist, executive producer, consultant producer, and story producer on a variety of projects. I also teach filmmaking. Scroll down, watch some films and find out more. Maybe we’ll work together on something.”
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about…JULIAN
I’m an Emmy-award winning British/Chinese TV and film producer. I won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2019 for the fiction film Clemency. My projects have been nominated for BAFTAS, Independent Spirit Awards, Emmys, Gotham Awards, DGA awards, PGA awards and have been twice shortlisted for the Oscars. I have been a showrunner on documentary series and produced a wide range of fiction and non-fiction features, series, VR and commercials, which have participated at Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festivals amongst others.
Forthcoming productions include Of Night and Light: the story of iboga and ibogaine, directed by two time Academy Award Nominee Lucy Walker, a deep journey into world of science, history and emotional stories of healing of the plant medicine Ibogaine. Recently released is the five-part documentary series The World According to Football, a look at urgent societal issues such as race, gender discrimination, inequality and mental health through the lens of soccer. Narrated by Trevor Noah, the series is produced with Religion of Sports for Showtime & Paramount. 2022 saw the release of the Netflix 4-part Emmy-nominated documentary series How To Change Your Mind, based on the New York Times best seller by Michael Pollan.
In 2021 I produced, Bring Your Own Brigade, which premiered at Sundance and was distributed by Paramount and CBS Films. Why Did You Kill Me? was a Netflix Original that received over 30m views in its first 28 days in release. In 2019 I produced along side Bronwyn Cornelius the drama Clemency, which won the Grand Jury Dramatic Prize at Sundance and was released theatrically by Neon, received a BAFTA nomination and three Independent Spirit Awards including Best Picture. Other past films include the award-winning documentary The Crash Reel following the dramatic fall and rise of snowboarder Kevin Pearce, a traumatic brain injury survivor. The film premiered at the Sundance film festival and was nominated for a Gotham Award and a DGA Award among others. Previous theatrically-released films include the fiction feature Never Here starring Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Mireille Enos (The Killing, World War Z) and Oscar Nominee Sam Shepard in his final screen role. Originally from Hong Kong, I teach documentary producing at USC School of Cinematic Arts. I’m a member of the Documentary Producer’s Alliance, the Producer’s Union, and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
For music things go to playjazzloud.com
Find me on IMDb here.
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WATCH SOME OF THE THINGS I've worked on
THE CRASH REEL
The Emmy winning and Academy shortlisted documentary premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and is directed by Lucy Walker. The Crash Reel is the dramatic story of one unforgettable athlete, Kevin Pearce; one eye-popping sport, snowboarding; and one explosive issue, Traumatic Brain Injury. A comeback story with a difference. Watch the trailer here.
iTunes Amazon Direct YouTube HBO Google Vimeo
CLEMENCY
Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival is the new fiction film by director Chinonye Chukwu starring Alfre Woodward, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff, Wendell Pierce and Danielle Brooks. Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill. The film was nominated for 3 Independent Spirit Awards, as well as the BAFTAs and the Gotham’s among others. Watch the trailer here.
Available everywhere now, how to WATCH
NEVER HERE
Official selection at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Never Here is about installation artist Miranda Fall (Mireille Enos) who follows, photographs and documents the lives of strangers to create her art. When disturbing events lead her to believe there is someone out there watching her, boundaries blur between real and imaginary, crime and art, the watcher and the watched. Writer-director Camille Thoman’s debut feature immerses viewers in a taut psychological thriller, with sumptuous imagery and sonic clues that steadily seep into the subconscious mind. Nothing is as it seems in this eerily fascinating exploration of identity, voyeurism and loss of self. Watch the trailer here.
THE GATE
In development is the fiction feature The Gate written by Camille Thoman and Tobias Menzies. On the last day of his life, an architect facing terminal illness orchestrates a unique farewell gathering for his closest circle. Taking us back in time, blending memory, imagination and fantasy, The Gate is warm, funny and heart-wrenching as it illuminates the impact people have on each other and what it means to be human.
more info here.
THE HISTORY OF CUBAN DANCE
The Virtual Reality Experience premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and is directed by Lucy Walker. Organic, spontaneous, sexy dances progress chronologically through Afro-Cuban Santería rumba, mambo, cha-cha-chá, salsa, breakdancing, and reggaeton, with optional audio tracks reflecting the broader story of Cuban history as revealed in the moves. Palpable and transporting, this live-action virtual reality documentary was filmed on location in Cuba and features Ballet de la Televisión Cubana.
Watch in VR at within
WOLVESMOUTH
A short documentary created for the Amazon show "The New Yorker Presents" profiling Craig Thornton, the chef responsible for Wolvesmouth, a Los Angeles underground supper club he started in 2010. You can watch it right now at the New Yorker and read the original story that inspired the film here.
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, A GEEK TRAGEDY
By founding the World RPS Society, the Walker brothers wanted to turn a child’s game into a good-natured competitive sport, but when Rock Paper Scissors fanatics converge on the World RPS Championships, they’re caught between big business, talk show pundits, Playmate mascots, and a battle of good versus evil that asks the question: Can purity beat commerce? Watch the trailer here.
CITY SYMPHONY
A short documentary about the day in the life of a swimming in New York City’s lower east side. Commissioned by the New Yorker magazine and Qualcomm and inspired by this Christoph Niemann New Yorker Cover. Enjoy the beautiful cinematography of Aaron Phillips, the editing of Tyler Temple Higgins and the vision of Lucy Walker.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
The Beautiful Game is an inspirational feature documentary about the power of soccer in modern Africa — a game that is helping to change the lives of individuals and communities across the continent. Players, fans, young, old, with or without a disability, male and female… millions of Africans' lives are wrapped up in the ‘beautiful game’. Watch the trailer here.
BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE
With “Bring Your Own Brigade,” Lucy Walker takes the audience on a character-driven, revelatory investigation and eyewitness journey with firefighters, residents and experts to understand the causes of these horrific fires and how to survive them. Raging, out-of-control wildfires have become part of the new normal around the globe, leaving heartbreaking devastation and death in their wake. The film expertly digs into the history and complex range of issues asking, “why does it have to be this way?" Bring Your Own Brigade world premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and theatrically released by Paramount, and available streaming on Paramount+ and CBS NEWS Films. The film was named one of the best films of 2021 by both Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott of The New York Times.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND
A Netflix doc series based on Michael Pollen’s New York Times bestsellers of the same name, this is a culture changing look into the psychedelic renaissance. The four episode series directed by Lucy Walker artfully brings to life the history and present day stories on how LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA and Mescaline are key to better mental health. And why psychedelics isn’t the bad word that brainwashes your mind. Watch the trailer here.
Available now on NETFLIX
WHY DID YOU KILL ME?
The less you know the better. This crime drama released on Netflix in April 2021 was their number two streamed film worldwide that week. Directed by Fred Munk this Shakespearean Myspace catfish crime drama is as viewers described it on social media “wild”. Watch the trailer here.
Available now on NETFLIX
The Lion's Mouth OPENS
This Emmy nominated and Academy shortlisted short documentary premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and is directed by Lucy Walker. This verité documentary is about confronting life’s most daunting moments with purpose and grace, and about the impact of genetic bonds and genetic testing on the people we love and on how we face our destiny. Stunningly courageous young filmmaker-actress Marianna Palka gathers her friends around her as she finds out whether she has inherited Huntington’s Disease, an incurable degenerative disorder which took her father and now has a 50% chance of taking her body and her mind. Watch the trailer here.
Commercially available again very soon.
DEFYING GRAVITY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS
A YouTube Premium docuseries takes a behind-the-scenes look at the road to becoming an elite gymnast, with the insight of some of the most incredible athletes ever to compete for Team USA. The six-part docuseries — from Main Event Media and Five All in the Fifth Entertainment (LANCE) — features 2021 Team USA Olympics hopefuls, as well as gymnasts including Laurie Hernandez, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Weiber, and more. Defying Gravity profiles the risks, rewards, sacrifices, and dedication required to be successful in a constantly competitive field. Watch the trailer here.
Available worldwide now on YouTube Originals
The S Word
From the creative team behind the award-winning OF TWO MINDS comes a new film that will tackle one of the most unfathomable and cloistered issues of our time... Suicide. Directed by Lisa Klein the film follows, Dese'Rae, suicide attempt survivor on a mission to find fellow survivors and document their stories of unguarded courage, insight and humor. She discovers a national community rising to transform personal struggles into action. Watch the trailer here.
BRANDED CONTENT
Over the years I've worked on a number of branded content films, some are branded and others are un-branded. Beyond Laughter & Tears is a feature doc I produced along with the agency W2O. If you're an OG gamer you might dig this short doc for Playstation's arcade classic Street Fighter that I produced a couple years ago.
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I ALSO LOVE MUSIC AND DJ
For all music things go to playjazzloud.com and give your ears a refreshing hike through my musical landscape. You'll find Jazz, Soul, Funk, House, Disco, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Balearic, African, Latin, Downtempo Grooves, and much more. Here's a taster of what's in my digital inbox from one of my recent podcasts.
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CONTACT ME
Fill out the info below to reach out on projects and queries about existing projects. This goes right to my inbox (no spam worries) and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Please note I don't accept unsolicited material (scripts etc). It'll get bounced back I'm afraid. Not trying to be rude! Thanks for stopping by.