Frank Borin’s path to a well-recognized music video director wasn’t based on using professional contacts or formal mentorship. Instead, he tackled his goals with relentless curiosity, fearless ambition, and a firm belief in the power of narrative while studying every frame in a film. The two-time Grammy Award-nominated director who has produced and directed music videos for Zayn Malik, Five Seconds of Summer, Jack Harlow, Tyga, and Bon Jovi has used these skills to develop a brilliant career.

Watching films has been a passion for Frank since he was a kid; it was not just something he did for fun. Frank analyzed each frame looking for significance outside of the scenes. At only 10 years old, he was sneaking onto sets and learning filmmaking directly from the source. His unconventional path led him to be among the most influential directors in the film industry. Read on to discover how.

Frank Borin, founder of UnderWonder Content, during an exclusive interview for MasterShot

“I Had No Idea What a Movie Director Did”: A Career Path Defined in Childhood

Most aspiring filmmakers go to film school to learn the craft. Frank Borin’s education started much earlier — by watching and deconstructing movies in his way.

“I intuitively knew I wanted to be a director without even knowing what a director did or was,” Borin recalls. “So, my education from a little kid was just watching movies, literally frame by frame, shot by shot, taking the home video camera, and spending my weekends with friends, and we were just shooting movies. When I was 10 or 11, I knew — this is what I had to do.”

Without family ties in Hollywood — his father was an engineer, and his mother a flight attendant — Borin had to carve his way. That opportunity came unexpectedly when his parents sent him to a cotillion class, which led to him being cast in Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School. The film went on to be a Sundance Film Festival selection, but for Borin, the real reward was getting to know the film director and producers.

“I randomly got cast in that and became friends with a director and the entire cast, the entire crew kept in touch with the DP and all the producers [...] So I just spent all my time just auditioning and getting cast in like a bunch of TV shows.”

Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Bryan Younce and Tanu Muiño at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards

From there, Borin pursued acting, landing roles in TV shows like Quantum Leap and Nickelodeon’s Salute Your Shorts. Acting, however, was never the end goal — it was merely a way to get closer to the filmmaking process.

At the same time, Borin found another way to immerse himself in the industry: sneaking onto Universal Studios’ backlot.

“I probably looked like I was seven or eight. No one stopped me. I just walked onto the sets, and made friends with directors and DPs, who were shooting movies.”

Over the next several years, he saw firsthand how world-famous movies like Jurassic Park and Home Alone 2 came to life. It was a filmmaking masterclass that would prove invaluable later in his career.

Frank Borin and his wife Ivanna on the set of Jung Kook (BTS) music video "Standing Next to You"

Transition From Observing to Creating a Music Video

After high school, Borin attended Loyola Marymount University’s film program. But his real education continued outside the classroom. He still found ways to sneak onto film sets, including Independence Day, where he befriended movie director Roland Emmerich and actor Jeff Goldblum.

Around this time, Borin made his first major transition — moving from observing to creating.

“I directed a music video for a band called Very Large Array using Loyola Marymount’s sound stages and equipment,” he says. “I just created a music video that I knew would be amazing. I put so much time and effort into it, and we spent five days shooting it. It was just a three-minute music video.”

Frank Borin as a producer of Post Malone x The Weeknd “One Right Now” music video

That dedication paid off. The video gained traction, eventually landing in the hands of Satellite Films and Propaganda Films — the powerhouse video production companies behind directors like Spike Jonze, Michael Bay, David Fincher, and Mark Romanek.

“I got a call early in the morning from the EP. The directors were up and said like ‘Hey, we saw your video. Can you come meet with us right now?’ I thought it was a joke,” Borin says.

But it wasn’t. He was soon signed to Satellite Films, working alongside some of his greatest inspirations.

“It was my true film school — just watching those directors work,” he reflects. “In film school, I honestly didn’t learn a single thing except how to load a camera. Everything else, I just knew inherently from being on hundreds of sets.”

Frank Borin produced one of the renowed music videos with Lenny Kravitz - "TK421"

The First Big Break: Directing for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

After joining Propaganda and Satellite Films, Borin faced the challenge of proving himself. He wrote treatment after treatment, got rejected numerous times, and slowly built up his reel with low-budget music videos.

“My first videos were small — $3,000, $5,000, $11,000. The first time I booked a big video was for a hip-hop group called Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who was huge at the time.”

That moment became transformative for Frank Borin. He walked onto the set, and for the first time, he saw a dozen trucks, a techno crane, and every piece of equipment he could ever want. The crew was 50 or 60 people. It was like everything he had ever dreamed of was finally happening.

Of course, no shoot comes without challenges; artists are late, problems arise, and things can get out of control.

“New filmmakers get thrown curveballs, and that’s the hardest thing to overcome,” he admits.

Frank Borin as a producer of the music video for Sam Smith “I’m Not Here To Make Friends”

According to Borin, the greatest film school isn’t a classroom — it’s the world itself. This philosophy has shaped his approach to overcoming challenges and handling stress.

Follow the video below for an exclusive interview with Frank Borin, where he shares plenty of insights from his journey and takes us behind the scenes of UnderWonder Content — one of the world’s leading music video production companies.