About

Sam Chegini

Filmmaker, Animator, Graphic Designer

Sam Chegini

Michael Attenborough

“The scale of his imagination is seemingly limitless.”

Chris de Burgh

“He’s highly professional. He’s really going to be a real talent in the future “

Ian Anderson

“A talented young man with a bright future in the music arts”

Sir Lenny Henry

“Sam Chegini is clearly gifted.”

Jakko M Jakszyk

“Extraordinary animated video.”

About Me

Born into an artistic family in Tehran, Iran, in 1992, Sam Chegini developed a deep passion for the fine arts from an early age. Despite the challenges of pursuing art and music in Iran, Sam’s determination and quest for knowledge led him to connect with artists worldwide, participating in international contests and expanding his creative horizons.

In 2006, he founded Sam Pictures Productions, establishing himself as a freelance artist. His first major international success came in 2009 with the animated music video Traveller for Dutch singer-songwriter Linde Nijland. The video gained critical acclaim, winning awards such as the Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival in 2013.

Sam’s collaborations span globally renowned names and projects. In 2016, he directed the music video The Cops Don’t Know for British actor and singer Sir Lenny Henry, produced by legendary producer Chris Porter. The video earned multiple awards, with Sir Lenny Henry praising Sam’s work as “a labor of love” and calling him “clearly gifted.”

His creative versatility extends beyond music videos. Sam contributed as a puppeteer to the acclaimed Iranian feature film The City of Mice 2 (2014) and served as video and mapping artist for the international play MANUS (2016-2017).

Between 2019 and 2022, Sam worked with globally celebrated artists, including:

Jakko M. Jakszyk (King Crimson) on music videos for Secrets and Lies.
Jethro Tull on videos for Aqualung, Sad City Sisters, and The Zealot Gene.
Gentle Giant on the title track for their Free Hand album remixed by Steven Wilson.
Chris de Burgh, directing the music video Legacy for his album The Legend of Robin Hood, which won the Image of the Year for Best Music Video at the Tassvir Film Festival in 2022.
Most recently, in 2024, Sam collaborated with British musicians Benjamin Croft and Marsha Swanson, directing multiple videos for their albums We Are Here to Help and Near Life Experience, respectively.

Sam’s work has been featured in prestigious platforms such as Rolling Stone and international film festivals, earning him accolades for his creativity and vision. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull described Sam as “a talented young man with a bright future in the music arts.”

An alumny of the Intercultural Leaders at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Sam continues to break creative boundaries, bringing stories to life through innovative visual storytelling.

 

Experience

2006 - Present

CEO, Founder | Sam Pictures Productions Studio

Sam founded the studio at the age of 14. When he made his very first music video for his friend, German singer/songwriter Monika Maid which was later presented to Chris de Burgh, their mutual favorite artist.

JAN 2010 - DEC 2010

Filmmaker, Advertisement manager for VOP - Voice of Peace Group

Sam started working with the Voice of Peace group as Graphic designer, advertisement manager, website developer/ designer and video artist.

 
DEC 2013 - FEB 2014

Puppeteer - The City of Mice 2 Feature Film

Started working in the team of the main Puppeteers at the City of Mice 2 feature movie, directed by Marzieh Boroumand, produced by Manijeh Hekmat and Ali Sartipi.

June 2015

Pre-screening Committee Member, Athens, Sprockets Music Video Festival

Sam was selected as the pre-screening committee member for the festival, his job was watching the submitted music videos and rating them in each category.

SEP 2015-MAY 2016

Director, Made in Soho Music

Working on the music video for Sir Lenny Henry titled “The Cops Don’t Know”

AUG 2017-NOV 2017

Artistic Director, 9th Wordless International Film Festival

Festival was held in Qazvin, Iran with same time screening in Sydney, Australia with more than 20 shorts present from 19 countries

SEP 2016-MAY 2018

Co-Founder, CEO,
QAF Animation Studio

AUG 2018-JAN 2020

Creator, Host,
SamChats Talk Show

SamChats is a series of interviews with the most successful International artists in Persian language for the Persian speaking audience

OCT 2019-MAY 2020

Film Director, InsideOut Music

Directed an animated music video for King Crimson’s frontman, Jakko M Jakszyk, to be premiered on August 14th, 2020 from InsideOut Music

 

FEB-APR 2021

Film Director, Warner Music Group UK

Directed the official music video for Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” for the song’s 50th Anniversary. Premiered on Rolling Stone, on April 1st 2021.

 

AUGUST-OCTOBER 2021

Film Director, Rockware Ltd.

Directed an animated music video for Chris de Burgh’s single “Legacy” from his 27th studio album “The Legend of Robin Hood”.

 

NOV-DEC 2021

Film Director, InsideOut Music/Sony Music

Directed official music video for Jethro Tull’s singles “Sad City Sisters” and “The Zealot Gene” from their upcoming album of new materials in over 18 years titled “The Zealot Gene” 

 

Skills

Adobe Premiere 90%
Adobe After Effects 90%
Moho Animation Studio 90%
Adobe Photoshop
87%
Unreal Engine 70%
TV Paint 65%
Illustrator 60%

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