Joshua Kissi

Joshua Kissi’s immense reach as an artist can be summarized by a tweet of his that reverberated around the creative world – when he tweeted about LinkedIn and its usefulness in fostering practical connections for creators and artists, the site immediately saw a large uptick in people from multiple creative fields sign up to their site… probably why Huffington Post has dubbed him a “generational culture shifter” and Fast Company selected him as one of their 100 Most Creative People. 

A Ghanaian-American filmmaker, photographer and creative director, Joshua’s work celebrates the vibrancy of communities through a cultural and historical lens. As one of the most sought-after photographers in America, his work has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, GQ, NYT Style Magazine and InStyle and his client list matches his A-level status with brands such as Nike, Beats By Dre, and Google. 

As a filmmaker, Joshua personifies the ideal of a self-generator – he’s constantly creating and making. Growing up in the Bronx, NY, he had a deep affinity for the arts despite the lack of exposure and accessibility to the creative industries. He began his journey as the co-founder of Street Etiquette, a blog documenting men’s style with a focus on Black men that became an online sensation with a large following. He also co-founded See in Black, a collective of 80 Black photographers with the mission of elevating Black visibility – as well as TONL, a company transforming stock photography to reflect the diverse people and narratives that are often overlooked in traditional media today. Most recently, Joshua had collaborated with Snap! and Google’s Pixel team to advance their camera technology to better capture the true range of skin shades and tones.  

Since joining division7 only two years ago, Joshua has directed campaigns for Google, LinkedIn, Hennessy, The New York Times and 3M to name a few. His short film, Business as Usual (which he wrote and directed), earned him a place on The One Show’s shortlist, and his piece “Holidays with Mrs. Hayes” for Chevrolet has been celebrated on the award circuit by shots Americas, The One Show, and The Webby Awards, amongst others. He was also shortlisted for AdAge’s Best New Director in 2023 and AICP Directors To Watch in 2020. His innate ability to find a commonality and connection point with everyone he comes across and each and every character whose story he is telling imbues his films with insights that are completely unexpected, and emotional depths rarely explored.