Cole Sax
{{short description|American film director}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cole Sax
| image = Cole Sax Headshot.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| death_date =
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| nationality = American
| other_names =
| occupation = Director, Creative Director, Executive Producer
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works = World Debut and Dear Class of 2020
}}
Cole Sax is an American film director and producer. He has directed films such as World Debut, a sports documentary about how the skateboarding, surfing, and climbing subcultures eventually made their way to the Olympics.
Sax's 2018 documentary series Far From Home,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/far-from-home-olympic-channel-series-trailer-pyeongchang-1202278278/|title=‘Far From Home’: Olympic Channel To Debut Original Series On Unlikely Athletes|first1=Nancy|last1=Tartaglione|date=February 5, 2018}} produced for the Olympic Channel and Snapchat,{{Cite web|url=https://story.snapchat.com/p/f8e8cde9-c439-48d0-b833-2217499168c2|title=Far From Home | Snapchat|website=story.snapchat.com}} won three Telly Awards, including Gold in video web-series.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} Additionally, his short documentary film Second Sight{{Cite web|url=https://musicbed.wpengine.com/filmmaking/producing/5-steps-for-producing-a-nonprofit-film|title=5 Steps for Producing a Nonprofit Film|date=October 23, 2019|website=Musicbed Blog}}{{cite web|title=Spotlight: Second Sight – Utah Film Commission|website=Utah Film Commission – The Story is Utah|url=https://film.utah.gov/blog/second-sight/|access-date=2021-12-07}}{{cite web|title=Filmmaker Spotlight: Cole Sax – Utah Film Commission|website=Utah Film Commission – The Story is Utah|url=https://film.utah.gov/blog/worlddebut/|access-date=2021-12-07}} won the Norman Vaughan Indomitable Spirit Award at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival,{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountainfilm.org/media/second-sight|title=Second Sight|date=April 22, 2020|website=Mountainfilm}} and also a silver for directing at the Telly Awards.
Early life and education
Sax was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, but started his filmmaking education at a young age when he moved to Park City, Utah. He attended Park City High School{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkrecord.com/entertainment/park-city-high-alumn-cole-sax-creates-second-sight-and-will-screen-his-film-in-salt-lake-city/|title=Park City High alumnus Cole Sax creates ‘Second Sight’ and will screen his film in Salt Lake City|first=Scott|last=Iwasaki|website=www.parkrecord.com}} and the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, California. He then attended the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Utah. He also attended Park City Academy with filmmaker Bruno Kohfield-Galeano.https://www.parkrecord.com/news/park-city-academy-hosts-the-hunt/
Career
Sax began his career when he was 16 while working for InSync Plus, a motion picture company in Los Angeles. When he was 18, he won his first Clio Key Art Award for the TV spot he edited for the feature film, The Art of Getting By.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/thrs-key-art-awards-2011-250817/|title=THR’s Key Art Awards 2011|first1=Patrick Kevin Day, Chris|last1=Godley|first2=Patrick Kevin|last2=Day|first3=Chris|last3=Godley|date=October 19, 2011}} After his short documentary film 88 and Sunny screened at the Metropolitan Pavilion red-carpet gala for the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Sax went on to pursue directing in the unscripted space.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parkrecord.com/news/pchs-grads-film-to-show-at-911-anniversary-in-new-york/|title=PCHS grad’s film to show at 9/11 anniversary in New York|first=Scott|last=Iwasaki|website=www.parkrecord.com}}
Sax has directed films in various parts of the world, including Malaysia, India, the Philippines, and Argentina. He has produced documentaries and content for the Olympic Channel, YouTube Originals, Snapchat, Nike, Facebook, and many others. Sax has also received the Mountainfilm Spirit Award for his documentary work.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mountainfilm.org/festival/awards/2020-norman-vaughan-indomitable-spirit-award|title=2020 Norman Vaughan Indomitable Spirit Award|date=April 21, 2020|website=Mountainfilm}}
Together with Boardwalk Pictures,{{Cite web|url=https://boardwalkpics.com/|title=Boardwalk Pictures – Production company based in Santa Monica, CA}} Sax directed and produced the 2018 documentary series Far From Home, which features athletes trying to get to the Olympic Games. Additionally, Sax has given a talk at TEDx in 2018 titled "An Unlikely Hero"{{Cite web|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/cole_sax_an_unlikely_hero|title=An Unlikely Hero|first=Cole|last=Sax|date=November 28, 2018|via=www.ted.com}} and has conducted filmmaking workshops at U.S. embassies in various countries.{{Cite web|url=https://americanfilmshowcase.com/experts/sax-cole/|title=Cole Sax – American Film Showcase|website=americanfilmshowcase.com}} He has also worked together with organizations such as the Obama Foundation and Khan Academy to produce documentaries such as Dear Class of 2020, a 2020 YouTube Originals film that has been nominated for the Emmy Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/barack-obama-you-tube-commencement-viewership-dear-class-of-2020-coronavirus-george-floyd-michelle-obama-lady-gaga-taylor-swift-1202957998/|title=Barack Obama & BTS-Headlined ‘Dear Class Of 2020’ Shatters YouTube Records|first1=Dominic|last1=Patten|date=June 12, 2020}}
In 2021, Sax completed his debut feature documentary film World Debut for YouTube Originals, which documents the stories of skateboarders, surfers, and climbers as they try to make their way to the Olympic Games.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/youtube-olympic-originals-gabby-douglas-1235004523/|title=YouTube Unveils Slate of Tokyo Olympic Originals Featuring The Try Guys, Gabby Douglas and More|first1=Todd|last1=Spangler|date=June 24, 2021}}
Personal life
Sax is currently based in both Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California.
Awards and honors
Cole Sax's awards include:{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Award !! Title !! Result | |||
| 2020 | The Non-Fiction Cartel (Best Short) | Second Sight | {{won}} |
| 2020 | Norman Vaughan Indomitable Spirit Award | Second Sight | {{won}} |
| 2020 | Silver Telly (Directing) | Second Sight | {{won}} |
| 2020 | Silver Telly (Documentary) | Second Sight | {{won}} |
| 2018 | Gold Telly (Webseries: Documentary) | Far from Home | {{won}} |
| 2018 | Silver Telly (Webseries: Series) | Far from Home | {{won}} |
| 2018 | Silver Telly (Webseries: Non-scripted) | Far from Home | {{won}} |
Filmography
Cole Sax's filmography:{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Type !! Credits | |||
| 2021 | World Debut | documentary | director; creative director; executive producer |
| 2020 | Dear Class of 2020 | video | segment director; creative director; executive producer |
| rowspan="2" | 2019 | Second Sight | documentary short | director; executive producer / producer |
| North Country | short | story producer | |
| rowspan="2" | 2018 | Far From Home | TV documentary series | director; executive producer; co-editor |
| In Searching | second unit cinematographer | ||
| 2017 | Forward: Women's March on Washington | short | director; producer; editor; writer |
| 2014 | Far from Home: Uganda to the Tetons | documentary | additional camera |
| 2011 | 88 and Sunny | video short | director; producer; editor; writer; cinematographer |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official website|https://www.colesax.com/}}
- {{IMDb name|4962984}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sax, Cole}}
Category:Film directors from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Film producers from Georgia (U.S. state)