I'mCole SaxA filmmakerbuilding studios
for stories thatstay human
[[ 001 ]]
Some filmmakers document the world. My films have a habit of changing it. Far From Home helped spark India’s first winter Olympic training facility, I directed segments for the Daytime Emmy-winning Dear Class of 2020, and the work I’ve made for brands has earned distribution on YouTube Originals, National Geographic, Hulu and Disney+, seen by hundreds of millions of people.
I’m a creative who thinks like an operator. I’ve directed with crews of ten in remote parts of the world and run sets of a hundred, alongside collaborators like Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi. I’ve built the studios, teams and pipelines that let that work happen at scale for brands like Salesforce, Ford and The North Face, including $5M+ in branded content in Think Less’s first year. I still pick up a camera or sit in the edit when the work needs it.
I’m a Sports Emmy judge, I’ve been a film expert for the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase for nearly a decade, and I’ve spoken on the TEDx stage. What I love most is still the big idea that earns attention, and the team it takes to pull it off. Today that’s Think Less, the studio work inside Salesforce, and Dispatch.
Studios, franchises and now the software to run them.
From the people who handed us the keys.
“Cole’s talent is undeniable… In all the years since establishing our company and building our slate of projects, he is amongst the best we have ever worked with.”
“He is an impressive storyteller and a fabulous collaborator who can develop shows from a seed of an idea, through any challenge that comes his way, to completion that is many times better than promised…”
“Cole Sax is an incredible and thoughtful director who has breathed new life into the Olympic Movement by telling stories that inspire audiences and make them want to chase their own dreams.”
“I was instantly taken by his creative eye, attention to detail and ability to convey complex storytelling into an engaging and well-thought-out pitch… effectively communicating and exhibiting strong leadership.”
“I cannot say enough good things about Cole. He’s truly a multi-talented individual who can work as a creative director, director, or producer… he puts everything he has into the work.”
Partners who let us tell the real story.
The hardware’s nice. What a film does in the world matters more.
On storytelling, building teams, and film as diplomacy.
The film is what you see. This is everything that makes it.
I build the company around the stories, not the other way round. Development, partners, money and a plan for where the work lives.
Real people, real stakes, and the patience to stay until the story shows up. It’s the hard way, and usually the only way.
The thousands of decisions behind a shoot shouldn’t live in someone’s inbox. So we built Dispatch to keep them in one place.
The best work comes from crews who feel trusted. I’ve run them at 10 people and at 100, and I teach what I’ve learned wherever I can.
What are you working on?
Tell me about it.