I was born and raised in the winelands of Stellenbosch outside Cape Town. I’ve been directing commercials in all shapes and sizes all over the world for a while now through companies like Independent London, Anonymous Content Los Angeles, Velocity Films Johannesburg, Lovers & Fighters Cape Town and my own studio Erik Johann Van Wyk Studio for Europe. I started my career as an agency creative, so aligning the script concept with the most beautiful and entertaining film for viewers is central to my thinking. I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a remarkably diverse body of award-winning work, each with its own unique cinematic design for some of the most celebrated agencies in the world like Wieden+Kennedy, The Martin Agency and BBH. My family lived in many cities (London, Oslo, Geneva, Stuttgart, Singapore, Boston, Portland, New York, Minneapolis, Barcelona, Palma, Johannesburg, and Cape Town), so I draw heavily from the influences of all these places. I studied art, robotics engineering, economics, photography and screenwriting, and drummed for art school bands. Music is always a major inspiration when designing anything. I currently live between London and Cape Town with my wife and little boy.