The Devil You Know Signs Directors Cokau & Stephane Sednaoui

International integrated productions house The Devil You Know founded by Don Block and Simon Wallon has signed directors Cokau and Stephane Sednaoui for exclusive U.S. representation.  In doing so, The Devil You Know continue to build on their passion for unique and outstanding artists. 

Cokau is the name of the directing team Achille Coquerel and Thomas Kauffmann.  Achille and Thomas met in 2006 and worked together for several years as editor and motion designer in a Parisian audiovisual studio.  They began directing in 2010 as Cokau and produced numerous experimental videos pushing visual boundaries.  “When I came across Cokau’s work, I was instantaneously blown away.  The delicate and deep understanding of organic elements combined with their extremely powerful energy and visual approach make them truly unique directors,” says EP Simon Wallon.  In 2012, Cokau won the Vimeo Award for the best experimental video for Prie Dieu and subsequently formed their own studio Cokau Lab.  Since then, Cokau has won numerous awards for their expansive work which includes live action, the creation of opening title sequences and art direction for audiovisual brand content, always experimenting with each step of the process.  

Cokau’s fusion of editing, motion design and sound design with their live action is behind the notoriety of their stunning films.  They are always experimenting, trying to deliver the best and the unexpected to their clients.

Stéphane Sednaoui is a French-American director and photographer whose career has explored multiple film and photographic genres. He has achieved tremendous success in the areas of commercials, music videos, photojournalism, portrait photography and pop culture. His music video achievements include "Give it Away" (Red Hot Chili Peppers), "Sly" (Massive Attack), "Mysterious Ways" (U2), "Big Time Sensuality" (Bjork), "Fever" (Madonna) and dozens more. As a photojournalist he covered such events as the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the 2001 September 11th attack of the World Trade Center. He has also been a regular contributor to Vogue Italia, Vogue China, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine Interview and Visionaire as a fashion and portrait photographer.  His music video work is documented in The Work of Director Stephane Sednaoui (2005) from the Directors Label series, a collection of DVDs devoted to music video directors, along with Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Anton Corbin, Jonathan Glazer, Chris Cunningham and Mark Romanek.

In 2014 Kehrer published Stephane Sednaoui photography book Search & Rescue at Ground Zero.

Stephane’s new and existing work have been exhibited recently at the MoMA, New York (2015)– the National September 11 Memorial and Museum (2013-2015), New York – the Brooklyn Museum New York (2013 – the (Barbican Center, London (2014) – Le Grand Palais, Paris (2015)– the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2014) and in a solo exhibition at the Sam Art Projects Foundation, Paris (2013).

“We are all extremely excited to have Stephane and Cokau become part of The Devil You Know.  The level of artistry and talent that they represent brings even more creative voice to the company’s array of projects”, commented Don Block.

Stephane Sednaoui and Cokau join The Devil You Know Roster that includes Ben Younger, Alex Hanson, NAN and Brett Easton Ellis.

The Devil You Know is represented by Oritte Bendory on the East Coast, Jen Giles In the Midwest and John Buckley on the West Coast and is part of the Block Partners family of companies, which includes GARTNER and Room Two.