Dave Clark

NARRATIVECOMMERCIAL

From viral shorts to co-founding Promise, the a16z-backed AI studio, Clark has become the reference case for the AI-native director: cinematic instincts first, generative tooling second. "Borrowing Time" and "Battalion" defined the emotional register AI film was told it couldn't reach.

PROFILE VERIFIED 15·JUL·2026 · 4 SOURCED EVENTS

Selected Works

Borrowing Time

2024 · NARRATIVE SHORT

The short that moved AI film past spectacle: a Black father's story told with restraint, praised across the trades.

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Battalion

2024 · SCI-FI SHORT

Mech-scale war spectacle produced solo in weeks: the piece that put Clark on studio radars.

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NinjaPunk

2025 · ACTION · PROMISE

Premiered at Cannes 2025 as proof of Promise's studio pipeline. The full short has no public release: the official first look is above.

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Career Timeline

2025"NinjaPunk" screens at Cannes as Promise builds out its studio slate SOURCE: VARIETY
2024Co-founds Promise with backing from Peter Chernin's North Road and a16z: signs with UTA SOURCE: VARIETY · DEADLINE
2024"Borrowing Time" and "Battalion" reach millions of views and trade coverage SOURCE: WSJ · INDIEWIRE
2023First AI shorts published from a live-action directing background SOURCE: NO FILM SCHOOL