I direct cinematic commercials and docs for purpose-driven lifestyle, outdoor and adventure brands that want stories that don't feel like ads.

Driven by a fascination with our shared human experience, I craft worlds that feel discovered rather than designed and capture characters who stay with you. My editorial roots have shaped a style that conjures and arranges the tiniest details into statements, combining them with rich visuals and visceral soundscapes. I play with form, blurring the lines between doc, narrative, and experimental. Above all, my work aims to remind us how much we have in common.

I grew up in a foggy NorCal surf town, spent my twenties in Hawaii, then moved on to New York, and I love them all equally. I was raised on skate films, documentaries, and movies, with punk rock, books, travel, and a marine biology degree all mixed in. It's all tied together by an endless curiosity about everything, but especially the human spirit, the beauty of the natural world, and our timeless need to make art and tell stories.

I've filmed icons and underdogs, from Beyoncé, Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, and Marion Cotillard to an 82-year-old nun who completed an Ironman. The nun was the most intimidating.

My collaborators include Nike, Ford, Lincoln, Vans, Jose Cuervo, Levi's, Audemars Piguet, Fender, Jeep, and Oakley, and agencies including Droga5, BBDO, R/GA, Edelman, and Ogilvy.

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© 2026 ROSS HAINES