Pat Borriello never planned on film. He found it the long way round.

He carried other people’s furniture up narrow stairwells. He poured drinks until closing time and listened to whatever people needed to say after midnight. He played saxophone in a jazz band, and in his early twenties he talked to strangers as a radio host. Somewhere along the way he learned the thing he still relies on most: noticing what people feel before they say it.

That’s what he brings to set. What drives him most is story: finding the character hiding inside a brief, the small turn that makes thirty seconds feel like a scene from something bigger. Whether it’s a spot for PUMA, Adidas, KFC, McDonald’s or Amazon Music, he’s looking for the moment that feels true. A glance, a breath, the beat of silence most edits would cut. He directs, often shoots, and still gets the same kid-like rush from a good frame paired with the right piece of music.

His short films are where he lets those stories run longer. The first was shot in Brooklyn, New York. He hasn’t stopped since.