Risk-taking has marked Hoffman’s career ever since he began shooting homemade short films and spec spots as a youngster in his native South Africa. At just 17 he became a filmmaker for international press syndicates AP and UPI, documenting the anti-Apartheid uprisings in embattled townships like Soweto. Hoffman’s gritty, non-fiction work eventually earned him a place at the American Film Institute, from which he earned a Master’s in Cinematography in 1985. After graduating, Hoffman joined AFI’s prestigious mentorship program, where he learned to blend rich characterization with eye-popping action by training at the feet of some of the top film directors of the time.
It wasn’t long before Hoffman was behind the lens himself, directing and shooting commercials in the United States and Europe. True to form, Hoffman proved a quick study and soon landed at trendsetting spot house Propaganda, former stomping ground of directors Michael Bay, Simon West, David Fincher and Antoine Fuqua. Since then, Hoffman has developed into one of the most sought after commercial directors in the world, working on high-profile campaigns for blue chip companies including Nike, Nissan, American Airlines and AT&T. In 1997 Hoffman’s much lauded Budweiser Super Bowl spot featuring a group of football-playing Clydesdales earned him a Gold Lion at the Cannes Film Festival, a feat he duplicated the following year. Currently, Hoffman is housed at top commercial company @radical.media, through which he recently completed a big-budget national Nike campaign.
Hoffman currently lives in Los Angeles.
