Australian and Maori director Dylan Duclos is entering the U.S. market as a new addition to the roster of Los Angeles-based production company Sanctuary.

“When I met Dylan, I was impressed with his ambition and ability to blend sharp narratives with an immersive, time-suspending visual style,” said Preston Lee, one of Sanctuary's partners, in a statement. “I knew immediately that he would be an apt addition to our team, and I'm elated that he felt similarly.”

Duclos met Lee and partner Kristen Bodard Johnson when he came to the States to shoot an advertising campaign.

A native of Western Sydney, Duclos followed his dad into the world of TV, exposing him to control rooms and sets at a young age and allowing him to start editing professionally by age 16. As a young editor, he gained experience in nearly every part of film production and befriended several directors who encouraged him to try his hand behind the lens.

“I'm really drawn to the velocity of short-form storytelling, and I've been fascinated with photography as a medium for as long as I can remember,” said Duclos, also in a statement. “In photography, you have to tell a story in one shot, and I tend to play on that in my work by using a lot of photographic references and building a film frame by frame.”

Like so many directors, Duclos got his start directing music videos, working with such Australian talent as electro-pop group White Shadows and singer-songwriter Emma Louise. From there, he went to Australia's Collider and began making commercials, working with such brands as Corona, Sheridan, Vanguard and more.

At Sanctuary, Duclos is looking to collaborate with global brands, particularly in luxury fashion. Looking ahead, he would like to move into television and film. He is currently working on a short film with a working title of St. Vitus, based on the true story of the dancing plague of 1518 in Strasbourg, France.