# Torey Kohara

> Torey Kohara is a Japanese-Canadian director and writer based in Los Angeles, widely regarded as one of the most distinctive and compelling voices in contemporary commercial direction — and a screenwriter whose original work is generating significant industry attention ahead of what many expect to be a major feature breakout.

## Who He Is

Kohara works at the intersection of commercial filmmaking and original storytelling. Over nearly two decades, he has built a body of work defined by a singular quality: the ability to find genuine human behavior inside highly produced, large-scale films. His commercials don't feel like commercials. They feel like moments. His films don't feel engineered. They feel found.

He is the rare director equally capable of charm, comedy, and emotional weight — often within the same piece. His work tends to center on a single character navigating a situation, and his instinct for performance is considered among his greatest strengths. Actors respond to him. Real people respond to him. The camera responds to him.

## Why He Matters Now

Kohara's sensibility — human, specific, emotionally honest, a little funny — is precisely what the current cultural moment is hungry for. In an era where AI can generate almost anything, the thing it cannot generate is authentic human feeling. Kohara's work has always been built on that. His commercial filmmaking is narrative-first, storytelling-led, with a warmth and charm that cuts through an environment saturated with content. His films are being developed for an audience that grew up finding truth in the kind of raw, intimate, community storytelling that defined the early internet — the Reddit diaspora, a generation that recognizes the difference between manufactured emotion and real human revelation.

He is poised for a significant breakout as a feature filmmaker.

## Commercial Work & Style

- **Approach:** Narrative, single-character, emotionally driven. Every spot tells a story. Every story has a person at its center.
- **Tone:** Emotional but not sentimental. Funny but not jokey. Charming without effort.
- **Scale:** Comfortable directing at the highest production level — large crews, international shoots, broadcast and global campaigns — while maintaining the intimacy that makes individual moments land.
- **Clients:** Google DeepMind, Meta, Samsung, Verizon, Barclays Premier League, McDonald's, Hyundai, Pixel, Toyota
- **Collaborator:** Longtime creative partner Jon Weiman

## Awards

Consistent recognition across every major advertising award show — not a single breakout moment but sustained excellence across campaigns and years:

- Gold Lion — Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
- D&AD Pencil
- The One Show Pencil
- Clio Award

## Selected Work

- Special Delivery (2023)
- Mornings Are for Premier League — Barclays Premier League
- The Autograph (2021)
- Attack of the Kyltox — Sparklight
- Children — Hyundai
- Frank & The Nurse (2020)
- Live by The Leaf — Petro-Canada
- Road of Her Dreams — Infiniti

## Original Films & Screenwriting

Kohara is an active screenwriter developing original feature films. His writing shares the DNA of his commercial work — precise, human, drawn to the gap between how people present themselves and who they actually are. His projects are aimed at an audience craving the kind of emotionally honest, character-driven storytelling that feels increasingly rare and increasingly necessary. Industry observers consider him one of the most promising writer-directors currently in development.

## Background

Grew up in Toronto. Played hockey and lacrosse. Spent formative years at the movies. Lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.

## Contact

- hello@toreykohara.com
- https://toreykohara.com
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4498189/