# Director X
**Director X** (born Julien Christian Lutz; born 1975) is a Canadian music video and film director from Toronto, formerly known as Little X, who has directed high-budget, visually distinctive videos for artists including [Drake](https://www.edgepedia.org/drake-musician), Rihanna, Sean Paul, Usher, Kendrick Lamar, and [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) • [2](https://raptology.com/2026/04/22/director-x-how-one-visionary-shaped-the-visual-language-of-hip-hop/) He is of Trinidadian and Swiss descent; his father hails from Switzerland and his mother from Trinidad.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Julien Christian Lutz, 1975, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Early training | Intern at MuchMusic in Toronto in the mid-1990s; protégé of hip hop video director Hype Williams[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Signature videos | Drake's "Hotline Bling", "Started from the Bottom", "HYFR", and "Worst Behavior"; Rihanna's "Work"[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) • [4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/) |
| Early-2000s work | Usher's "Yeah!" and "Caught Up"; Sean Paul's "Get Busy" and "Temperature"; Nelly's "Hot in Herre"; DMX's "What's My Name?"[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/director_x) • [4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/) |
| Feature films | "Undone" (2014) per IMDb; "Across the Line" (2016 release) described by The Canadian Press as his feature debut; Sony studio film "Superfly" produced by Joel Silver[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) • [6](https://directorxfilms.com/info/) |
| Television | Director and creator credits including "Robyn Hood" (2023), "Mike" (2022), "The Imperfects" (2022), and "Genius" (2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Social initiative | Founded Operation Prefrontal Cortex, an initiative to reduce Toronto's gun violence through mindfulness and meditation[6](https://directorxfilms.com/info/) |
## Early career and apprenticeship with Hype Williams
Director X got his start as an intern at MuchMusic, the Canadian music channel, in Toronto in the mid-1990s.[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) From there he moved to New York City and became the protégé of pioneering hip hop director [Hype Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/hype-williams), working on storyboards and major projects including Williams's film *[Belly](https://www.edgepedia.org/belly-film)*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) • [7](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/shawn-setaro/how-director-x-went-from-intern-to-hotline-bling) • [5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/director_x) According to one profile, he pursued Williams after seeing his videos as art, sending packages, calling offices, and eventually getting into Williams's Big Dog Films by showing up and working.[8](https://shotby.tv/director-x)
The apprenticeship immersed him in the glossy, wide-screen, fashion-forward hip hop visuals that dominated the late 1990s, and he adopted the moniker "Little X" as he began directing on his own.[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/director_x) In a 2013 interview he described the lessons of that period from the director's chair: on DMX's "What's My Name?" (1999), he shot the second day of a two-day shoot entirely on his own instincts, drawing the lights red, green, and blue and dressing everyone in Ruff Ryders T-shirts, after a first day spent trying to guess what the label wanted.[4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/)
## Music video career
**Breakout in the early 2000s.** His early solo work defined the look of numerous chart-topping hits: Usher's "Caught Up" and the widely influential "Yeah!", [Sean Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-paul)'s "Get Busy" and "Temperature", which captured the kinetic energy of dancehall, and videos for [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly), the Clipse, and Jay-Z.[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/director_x) • [4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/) Other videos from this period include DMX's "What's My Name?", Ghostface Killah's "Cherchez La Ghost", Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass", Fabolous's "Can't Deny It", and Nelly's "Hot in Herre".[4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/) On "Can't Deny It" he introduced an edit technique he says no one had used in hip hop before, and which others then copied widely.[4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/)
**Work with Drake.** His collaboration with Drake spans several of the artist's most memorable videos. "HYFR", which framed Drake's bar mitzvah, appeared on many publications' year-end best-of lists; "Started from the Bottom" and "Worst Behavior" followed; and "Hotline Bling" became a viral sensation built on stripped-down sets, clean color fields, and an instantly memeable dance.[4](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/) • [3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) • [2](https://raptology.com/2026/04/22/director-x-how-one-visionary-shaped-the-visual-language-of-hip-hop/) He also directed Rihanna's "Work", [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar)'s "[King Kunta](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-kunta)", and [Justin Bieber](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-bieber)'s "Boyfriend".[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) • [9](https://beancount.io/blog/2026/01/27/director-x-music-video-visionary-craft-over-cash)
His work has been nominated for and received awards from the MTV Music Video Awards and the Much Music Video Awards; IMDb lists 7 wins and 12 nominations in total.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) He has also directed commercials for [Mercedes-Benz](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercedes-benz), McDonald's, Ikea, DirecTV, Nintendo, Bacardi, Guinness, and Yeo Valley.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true)
## Feature films and television
IMDb records a directorial debut in 2014 with the drama *Undone*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true) The Canadian Press, covering the April 2016 release of *Across the Line*, described that film as his feature film directorial debut; the two accounts differ on which project came first.[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) *Across the Line*, written by [Nova Scotia](https://www.edgepedia.org/nova-scotia) native Floyd Kane and starring Stephan James, is inspired by real-life racial tensions that led to brawls at [Cole Harbour District High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/cole-harbour-district-high-school) in Nova Scotia in 1989, and follows a Black hockey prospect eyed by NHL scouts.[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/) X co-founded the production company Creative Soul.[3](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/)
He later directed his first Sony studio feature film, *[Superfly](https://www.edgepedia.org/superfly-2018-film)*, produced by [Joel Silver](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-silver).[6](https://directorxfilms.com/info/) His television credits as director include *Robyn Hood* (2023, which he also created), *Mike* (2022), *The Imperfects* (2022), *Genius* (2024), and *Cross* (2024).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true)
## Art and social initiatives
As an artist, he has created installations for Toronto's Nuit Blanche: *Death of The Sun*, featured in Drake's "Boy Meets World" European tour, and *Life of The Earth*, in collaboration with the Ontario Science Center.[6](https://directorxfilms.com/info/) He founded Operation Prefrontal Cortex, an initiative that aims to reduce Toronto's gun violence through mindfulness and meditation, and he speaks on creativity, innovation, wellness, and community.[6](https://directorxfilms.com/info/)
One account of his business approach notes that he routinely waived his directing fees so he could put more money into production quality, treating his portfolio as a long-term investment rather than a series of transactions.[9](https://beancount.io/blog/2026/01/27/director-x-music-video-visionary-craft-over-cash)
## References
1. [Director X, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1962311/?showAllCredits=true)
2. [Director X: How One Visionary Shaped the Visual Language of Hip-Hop, Raptology (2026)](https://raptology.com/2026/04/22/director-x-how-one-visionary-shaped-the-visual-language-of-hip-hop/)
3. [Director X of Drake's 'Hotline Bling' fame makes film debut with racial drama, CityNews Toronto / The Canadian Press (2016)](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/06/director-x-of-drakes-hotline-bling-fame-makes-film-debut-with-racial-drama/)
4. [Director X Shares the Stories Behind His Iconic Videos, XXL (2013)](https://www.xxlmag.com/director-x-shares-the-stories-behind-his-iconic-videos/)
5. [Director X, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/director_x)
6. [Info, Director X official site](https://directorxfilms.com/info/)
7. [How Director X Went From Intern to Directing "Hotline Bling", Complex (2018)](https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/shawn-setaro/how-director-x-went-from-intern-to-hotline-bling)
8. [Director X, music video director, shotby.tv](https://shotby.tv/director-x)
9. [How Director X Built a Career by Choosing Craft Over Cash, Beancount (2026)](https://beancount.io/blog/2026/01/27/director-x-music-video-visionary-craft-over-cash)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Film directors by place of origin*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license