Mathew Cullen

Biography

Mathew Cullen is an American music video, commercial, and film director. He is co-founder of production company Motion Theory and co-founder of creative studio Mirada with Guillermo del Toro. Cullen has directed and produced hundreds of commercials and music videos, including two of the most viewed videos of all time: Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” at #3 and “Roar” at #4, both with over a billion views. Rolling Stone named him to its annual “Hot List” and Wired called him one of six directors who are making music videos cool again. He won two consecutive Grammy Awards for The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” and Weezer’s “Pork and Beans,” the most blogged-about video of 2008. Cullen partnered with Katy Perry again in 2014 on “Dark Horse” to win Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards and Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The video also made her the first woman in history to reach a billion views. He founded Motion Theory at age 23 and has since overseen production on over 500 projects. Cullen joined forces with Guillermo del Toro in 2010 to launch Mirada, a studio designed for storytellers. Under his direction, Mirada launched a number of multiplatform experiences, including IBM’s THINK Installation, the Ro.me interactive video and MirrorWorld, a living storybook app for Cornelia Funke’s book series, the latter two garnering Cannes Lions in Animation, Illustration and Graphic Design, and Best Visual Design/Aesthetic. In 2013, he designed and directed the prologue to Guillermo del Toro's blockbuster PACIFIC RIM. Most recently, Cullen directed the feature film LONDON FIELDS, based on the acclaimed novel by Martin Amis, and starring Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Theo James, and Johnny Depp. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Film Independent, and has guest spoken at Harvard Business School, USC, UCLA, and the Sundance Film Festival.