Chris Applebaum is a renowned director, best recognized for his work on the MTV Video of the Year for Rihanna's "Umbrella" and the provocative Carl's Jr campaign that kicked off with Paris Hilton washing a car.
Born in Los Angeles, Applebaum pursued a degree in Film at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he began directing music videos for up-and-coming bands in the burgeoning Indie Alternative Rock scene during the 1990s.
After MTV discovered one of Applebaum's early videos, the 19-year-old college student was offered the opportunity to join their On Air Promos department in New York City.
Prior to his 22nd birthday, Applebaum became the youngest director to sign with Satellite Films, a division of the legendary Propaganda, where he went on to direct over 250 music videos and accumulated multiple MTV Video Music Awards.
In 1998, Applebaum's Semisonic video for "Closing Time" became the first video to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, earning the distinction as a "Breakthrough" video from MTV.
Additionally, his video for Fountains of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Throughout his career, Applebaum has had over 30 Number 1 videos on MTV, working with notable artists such as Rihanna, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, Usher, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez, among others.
Applebaum's commercial for Carl's Jr starring Paris Hilton was rated by BDS Neilsen as the #1 most aired commercial in television history.
His subsequent spots, including the 2013 advertisement featuring model Nina Agdal and the 2013 advertisement featuring Kate Upton, both garnered over 1 Billion Media Impressions within three weeks of their initial airing.
In a creative departure, Applebaum launched his self-funded Instagram video series, EATS, in late 2016, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views in its first month.
Currently residing in Los Angeles, Applebaum is just a stone's throw away from where his grandparents immigrated from Russia in 1921.
