Jules Renault

Jules Renault, a Paris-based director and photographer, grew up in France and discovered his love for visual storytelling early on. Not a massive fan of studies, he took a job as an ice cream seller—fun, but not as thrilling as skating and making homegrown DV rap videos. His passion for the skate-hip-hop scene took off, leading him to Boston, where he even recorded a rap song. Realizing rapping was harder than it looked, Jules stuck with directing and skating, collaborating with the Brooklyn massive and eventually shooting his breakout Hennessy spot.

From there, his career exploded across commercials, documentaries, and photography. In 2021, his ad for Distance, "Outlaw Runners," depicting runners breaking Paris's 30 km/h speed limit, earned 40 awards and remains iconic. His work reflects a sharp perspective on urban culture and a love for rhythmic visuals, influenced by films like Hype Williams’ Belly—his all-time favorite.

Jules’s documentaries are just as personal. In 2018, he directed "MELT. A Smoking Story", an exploration of American barbecue culture, even enlisting the help of his vegan girlfriend—though it didn’t do their relationship any favors. The film, however, was a success, as was his chief editor & creative direction role in the 2024 award-winning "DJ MEHDI: Made In France".

As a photographer, Jules’s work spans fashion and documentary, exemplified by his 2021 photo book and exhibition, "Crown Heights • Suspended In Time", which focused on Brooklyn’s high gentrification. He frequently collaborates with young Parisian designers, blending textiles with his distinctive urban aesthetic.

Whether editing his films, working in the darkroom, or retouching images, Jules is hands-on in every project, valuing precision and control. A creative force who’s as much at home shooting commercials as he is exploring analog photography, Jules is driven by the ambition to merge classic imagery with a modern rhythm—and he’s a total gent while doing it.