Don Newkirk Jr., is a New York City-based award-winning director, cinematographer, editor, and producer. He applies his expertise to branded, commercial, documentary, and social-first storytelling across sports, culture, automotive, and lifestyle. His documentary work has earned multiple gold Telly Awards and a Webby Awards nomination.
Recently, he created social content for Cadillac Formula 1’s 2026 livery reveal Super Bowl commercial and go-to-market campaign, Ford’s 2025 Black History Month campaign, and helped shape culture-forward storytelling for McDonald’s All-American Games. His editorial work includes directing “Beyond the Pitch”, an AppleTV doc-series for Major League Soccer, and other long-form content for Financial Times, Ford, and Boardroom.
Don is hands-on throughout the production pipeline, from ideation and creative development to pre-production, directing on set, filming, and editing. He has held full-time roles at the advertising agencies Wieden+Kennedy and Translation and worked in-house at Kevin Durant’s Boardroom, Financial Times, and ESPN.
On set, he focuses on intention—blocking, lighting, camera movement, and capturing genuine moments from talent. In post, he edits with restraint, rhythm, replay value, and resonance.
