Biografia
David Palmer's distinctive storytelling as a director has influenced the visual arts across music videos, commercials, documentary feature films, and theatrical movies.
Since 2014, Palmer has been traveling worldwide for Microsoft, directing a series of acclaimed global docu-storytelling commercials for the Microsoft Brand and, more recently, Microsoft Cloud. His inspiring campaigns have taken him from Africa, showcasing how drones aid in saving the Black Rhino, to New Orleans, where former Saints player and ALS advocate Steve Gleason uses technology to convey messages of resilience and limitless potential. His shoots have spanned locations including Myanmar, London, Rio, Uganda, Namibia, and Kenya. Microsoft debuted Palmer's commercial "Technology" during Super Bowl XLVIII (2014), making it the 8th most viewed and discussed ad of the event. The following year, at Super Bowl XLIX (2015), his commercial "Braylon" ranked as the 4th most talked about and watched commercial of the record-breaking broadcast, according to AdMeter.
After a thriving career in commercials and music videos, Palmer transitioned to feature films in March 2010 with the Showtime premiere of his acclaimed documentary America Stripped: Naked Las Vegas. Filmed over two years with Palmer also serving as cinematographer, the documentary became the 5th most viewed in Showtime history, showcasing his talent for connecting with diverse subjects and encouraging sincere on-camera openness, establishing his unique directing and filming style.
Palmer then ventured into scripted feature films, collaborating with Dax Shepard on Primate Pictures' satirical rockumentary Brothers Justice, a comedic parody about Shepard’s decision to leave comedy to pursue a dream of becoming an international martial arts star at any cost. Tribeca Films released the movie in April 2011. Later that year, Palmer and Shepard reunited for their second Primate Pictures feature, the romantic action comedy Hit & Run. Starring Shepard, Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Kristin Chenoweth, and Beau Bridges, the film follows Charlie Bronson (Shepard), a good-natured man with a troubled past who risks everything by escaping the witness protection program to help his fiancée (Bell) seize a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity in Los Angeles. Open Road released the film nationwide on August 22, 2012. Made on a $2 million budget, it grossed nearly $14 million domestically.
Palmer studied at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. His directing career began with hit music videos for artists like Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige & Ja Rule, Toni Braxton, Juvenile, Nelly, and The Dandy Warhols. He made a mark in documentary filmmaking as both director and director of photography for the acclaimed MyCadillacStory.com campaign for GM/Cadillac. His stories featuring Jimmy Johnson, Coach K, and Jay Leno helped establish MyCadillacStory’s YouTube channel as the 5th most viewed branded channel that year. Palmer Productions, his company, is based in Venice, California.
