Samuel Gonzalez, Jr.

Samuel Gonzalez Jr. is an Emmy-nominated, multi award winning film director and Iraq War Veteran. A 2013 graduate of the Los Angeles prestigious Art Center College of Design, Gonzalez’s unique cinematic identity caught the eye of legendary Hollywood producer Edward R. Pressman (The Crow, American Psycho, Wall Street) who optioned his published Novel “The Chords of WAR” – a semi-autobiographical war story about his experience playing rock n roll while a soldier during the Iraq War. This professional relationship led Gonzalez to new opportunities in film and music videos. 

His book was published by White Whisker Books in 2017, winning the Foreword Indies Book of the YEAR award. Acclaimed writer and television showrunner Graham Yost (Band of Brothers, The Americans, Justified) called the book "Brilliant!". Gonzalez is heavily influenced by Kubrick, Zemeckis, Darabont and Fincher as his work often is a hybrid between those, often putting considerable touch of suspense and grounded often dark colored psychological themes interwoven throughout his narratives, no matter the format in which he shoots in.

His first feature debut, 'Railway Spine' a period war and crime drama was nominated for the Chris Brinker Award for Best New Director and won the coveted Golden Eagle Award for Best Military Film at the 2016 San Diego International Film Festival, released on VOD and Amazon Prime in early 2020. His 2019 psychological horror short film ' The Springfield Three' centered around the true unsolved 1992 Springfield Missouri disappearance has been accepted in over 10 festivals, has garnered 12 nominations, 7 Best Short Film and 3 Best Director awards including Best Short film at the Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest. It received worldwide distribution by Academy Award qualifying ShortsTV and had its television premiere in November 2020.

He recently co-directed the  high octane horror thriller film 'The Retaliators' for Better Noise Films from the producers who brought Netflix's 'The Dirt' - which received worldwide theatrical distribution and hitting theaters September 2020 and Netflix soon after. He also directed music videos for diverse artists such as - Papa Roach, Escape the Fate, Eva Under Fire and Grammy Award winner Kimbra for Warner Bros. Records.

His recent short film 'That Night' featuring William Fichtner (Black Hawk Down, The Perfect Storm, The Dark Knight) as the narrator, focused on the true untold story of a mysterious 'Craigslist' ad that went viral in 2015 and the first ad to be considered for a Pulitzer prize, premiered during the 2021 festival circuit at the Oscar Qualifying Hollyshorts film festival.

With over 20 short films, several commercials and music videos over the past decade, Samuel Gonzalez Jr. has firmly established himself as one of the industry's most sought out up and coming talents.