Dan Melamid
Dan Melamid, also known as DanTheMan, is an American director and cinematographer from New Jersey, son of the famous Russian-American conceptualist artist Alexander Melamid. Interested in rap and hip hop since the early childhood, Dan Melamid started working as an audio engineer at popular NYC clubs, where he had a chance to meet Run-DMC, Jay-Z and other seminal hip hop artists.
In the mid-nineties, Melamid became a chief sound engineer at the recently established Pseudo Programs internet radio, where he collaborated with Marshall Mathers (Eminem), Wu-Tang Clan, and other musicians through 88 Hip-Hop Show. Following the opportunity to produce video content, Dan Melamid started KoolOut, a program dedicated to urban music, eventually becoming the youngest executive producer at Pseudo Online Network, and producing over 10 original shows. In 2001, after Pseudo.com had been closed during the dot-com bubble burst, Melamid with Jonathan "Shecky Green" Shecter co-founded RapNetwork.com, one of the earliest streaming platforms specialized in hip hop. While working on a project, Dan became primarily focused on film-making and directing music videos.
Dan is a long-time friend and collaborator of DJ Whoo Kid – he recorded and edited a few mixtapes for him at the early stages of Kid's career. They also created Rewind, one of the first hip hop DVD magazines, together. Eventually, Whoo Kid became 50 Cent's permanent DJ, and through him Dan met the G Unit's label crew. From 2002 to 2006, Melamid was a full-time director for G-Unit – he produced many documentaries and music videos for M.O.P., Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Mobb Deep, and also directed all videos on Fifty's album The Massacre. In 2011, Dan The Man appeared in Rhyme and Punishment, a documentary about incarcerated hip hop stars.
Melamid played the key role in creation of his father's Holy Hip-Hop! portrait series, exhibited in 2008 at MOCAD (Museum Of Contemporary Art Detroit). It was Alexander Melamid's first solo project since Komar & Melamid co-authorship ceased to exist. Dan initially introduced Alex Melamid to the world of hip hop, and invited Whoo Kid (soon followed by 50 Cent) to pose for a portrait in his father's studio in SoHo. Inspired by the pompous faux royal celebrity lifestyle and flamboyant fashion choices of the rappers, Alexander Melamid created a series of paintings, portraying Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, ex-graffiti artist/fashion designer Marc Ecko, and other contemporary rap icons in the 'Old Masters' style that resembles the court portraits of Velázquez.
Since 2007, Dan Melamid runs Case-In-Point Pictures, a full service production company specializing in music videos, documentaries and commercials. He worked with many prominent hip hop artists, such as Rick Ross, Maino, A$AP Ferg, Waka Flocka Flame, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Large Professor, Pete Rock, and Smoke DZA. Apart from music videos, Melamid also directed Brian McKnight Just Me (2013) TV film and Red Bull Presents: Lenny Kravitz (2014) documentary.
In the mid-nineties, Melamid became a chief sound engineer at the recently established Pseudo Programs internet radio, where he collaborated with Marshall Mathers (Eminem), Wu-Tang Clan, and other musicians through 88 Hip-Hop Show. Following the opportunity to produce video content, Dan Melamid started KoolOut, a program dedicated to urban music, eventually becoming the youngest executive producer at Pseudo Online Network, and producing over 10 original shows. In 2001, after Pseudo.com had been closed during the dot-com bubble burst, Melamid with Jonathan "Shecky Green" Shecter co-founded RapNetwork.com, one of the earliest streaming platforms specialized in hip hop. While working on a project, Dan became primarily focused on film-making and directing music videos.
Dan is a long-time friend and collaborator of DJ Whoo Kid – he recorded and edited a few mixtapes for him at the early stages of Kid's career. They also created Rewind, one of the first hip hop DVD magazines, together. Eventually, Whoo Kid became 50 Cent's permanent DJ, and through him Dan met the G Unit's label crew. From 2002 to 2006, Melamid was a full-time director for G-Unit – he produced many documentaries and music videos for M.O.P., Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, and Mobb Deep, and also directed all videos on Fifty's album The Massacre. In 2011, Dan The Man appeared in Rhyme and Punishment, a documentary about incarcerated hip hop stars.
Melamid played the key role in creation of his father's Holy Hip-Hop! portrait series, exhibited in 2008 at MOCAD (Museum Of Contemporary Art Detroit). It was Alexander Melamid's first solo project since Komar & Melamid co-authorship ceased to exist. Dan initially introduced Alex Melamid to the world of hip hop, and invited Whoo Kid (soon followed by 50 Cent) to pose for a portrait in his father's studio in SoHo. Inspired by the pompous faux royal celebrity lifestyle and flamboyant fashion choices of the rappers, Alexander Melamid created a series of paintings, portraying Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, ex-graffiti artist/fashion designer Marc Ecko, and other contemporary rap icons in the 'Old Masters' style that resembles the court portraits of Velázquez.
Since 2007, Dan Melamid runs Case-In-Point Pictures, a full service production company specializing in music videos, documentaries and commercials. He worked with many prominent hip hop artists, such as Rick Ross, Maino, A$AP Ferg, Waka Flocka Flame, Ghostface Killah, Redman, Large Professor, Pete Rock, and Smoke DZA. Apart from music videos, Melamid also directed Brian McKnight Just Me (2013) TV film and Red Bull Presents: Lenny Kravitz (2014) documentary.
Shareif Ziyadat
Shareif Ziyadat is a highly celebrated creative force in the music, sports and entertainment industries. Since receiving his BA degree in 2002 from the School of Visual Arts with a focus on graphic design and advertising, he has acquired something of a “dream team” client roster. His design abilities and knack for creating unique concepts landed him a position for the past decade working with Albert Watson’s creative agency, Cyclops, where he executed successful campaigns for Sports Illustrated, The Black Eyed Peas, RCA Records, ABC Networks, Brittney Spears, Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
As a fine-art studio photographer, his career has had overwhelming success being commissioned by entertainment’s top talent such as Jay-Z, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Lady Gaga, Michael Jordan, 50 Cent, Eminem, Dave Chapelle, Swizz Beatz, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J Blige, Rihanna, Mark Wahlberg, Jamie Foxx, Floyd Mayweather, Alicia Keys and Fergie, just to name a few.
Ziyadat is a seasoned professional photographer for Getty Images, placing his work in print and online media outlets all over the globe. His candid “in the moment” photos can be seen editorially in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin, XXL, Complex, Vibe, The Source, ESPN The Magazine, and newspapers like the New York Times, The New York Post, The Daily News, and The Wall St. Journal.
Being recognized as a creative staple in the music and fashion industries, his photographic and design work has impacted at all levels of marketing, creative packaging, and advertising (print and online) with world renowned brands like Def Jam Records, Universal Music Group, Interscope Records, Atlantic Records, Motown Records, Sony Music, Epic Records, EMI, Capitol Records, Warner Brothers Music Group, Universal Pictures, Nike, Adidas, UnderArmour, Ciroc, Grey Goose, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Roc-A-Wear, Phat Farm, Sean John, Akademiks, G-Unit Clothing, Ecko, Shady Clothing and PRPS jeans.
He was the Creative Director for a global rebranding initiative for Amazon Water, and has received coveted advertising industry awards including the prestigious Clio, ADNY Award, as well as recognition from the Art Directors Club. His company, SZ Productions Inc. is one of the world’s premiere boutique creative agencies focusing on image branding, video marketing and content creation.