Luis Ortega, The Caribbean and Hoka Slides: Sebastian Hill-Esbrand’s Essential List
Sebastian Hill-Esbrand is a commercial director represented by Gravy Films, Skin & Bones, and Entropico. Born in the States, raised in Melbourne, and shaped in a bush town in northern New South Wales he is a Caribbean–Australian director based in Toronto.
His first love was skate videos , and he’s never really grown out of that spirit of collaboration. Whether it’s putting a quirky twist on ad spots, hook testing while launching a new TikTok show, or diving into aesthetics and tone in a portraiture series, he creates because he loves solving problems with people he admires.
His work lives somewhere between the playful and the edgy, with magic realism as a kind of North Star. He has directed for Netflix, Doritos, Google, picked up a Gold YDA, and was shortlisted for Young Guns.
Below Sebastian lists off his daily essentials, working on perfecting his Spanish, and Legend of Zelda obsession.
Lifestyle
- Place of birth: I was born in Seattle, then immediately left. I returned after 2016, hated it, and fled to Canada for film school
- Hometown: I spent my teenage years in an Australian country town where it's completely normal to stroll the mall barefoot
- Staycation: I moved to Toronto in 2023. I love how multiculturalism is integrated into society
- Vacation: The Caribbean. My father’s side of the family is Guyanese, so being here feels both foreign and familiar. This lake is postcard-perfect, but my cousins can’t swim
- Pet: The plants I've adopted in my sublet
- Place of work: The Eastroom Co, working or *borrowing* my mate’s studio time
- Place of workout: Calisthenics Park
- Good Habit: dancing, cycling, a full life outside of work
- Bad Habit: I have no chill
- Mode of transport: Subaru Outback, bicycle for commute, cruiser board for takeout
- Bonus Travel Essential: point and shoot
Culture
- Artist: Duckworth
- Musician: Sasha Marie Radio chapter #114
- Commercials / music video director: Hiro Murai, Andre Muir, Los Perez, Cameron Harris, and Andzej Gavriss
- Film director: Luis Ortega (his style is akin to Wes Anderson, but more explicit); Alma Har’el
- Author: Steven Bartlett
- Photographer: Azael Flores
- Film: ‘El Angel’ - Luis Ortega
- Series: Anything Donald Glover was involved in
- Invention: Hoka Slides
- Commercial: Anything directed by Cameron Harris (photo with Me, Nico and Cam)
- Music Video: Anything from Rubberband
- Video Game: ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’, which I haven't touched in two years after realising I'm on the final boss and the game is about to be over
- Board Game: Catan
- Book: ‘No Pitch Manifesto’
- Podcast: ‘Colin & Samir’. Before discovering these guys, the word content made my blood boil
- Magazine: ‘Thrasher’
- Obsession: ‘Squid Games’
- Bonus Culture Essential: Mi español es no perfecto pero estoy hacer mejor :)
Food and Drink
- Breakfast: Chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, eggs, cajun seasoning + swiss cheese = you’re welcome
- Restaurant: I love a vibey pub
- Cheap bite: Tacos
- Working lunch: Roast chicken and salad
- Dish: Roasted veggies with garlic, butter, and rosemary
- Snack: Trail Mix
- Guilty Pleasure: Mimosas at brunch
- Bar: Anywhere in Paris
- Booze: I have a soft spot for anything made with gin
- Not Booze: Water with electrolytes
- Bonus Food: It’s hard not to be a foodie in Toronto but I claim not
- Bonus Beverage: The after-lunch matcha latte
Kit
- Phone: I’m sucked into the Apple universe :(
- Computer: insert Apple emoji
- Headphones: Audio-Technica, always (Still from Audio Technica biopic, 2025)
- Camera: Olympus Trip 100R - Best Point & Shoot
- Pen / pencil: Pen
- Where you document an idea: The whiteboard
- Casual Clothing:
- Smart Clothing:
- Footwear: HOKA slides
- Accessory: Skateboard
- Collection: MP3s, WAVS + Vinyls
- Home comfort: Hosting
- App: Cosmos / Letterbox
- Website: Cosmos.os
- Blog: @lexsonator on IG
- Work program: Gmail
- Morning grooming / makeup essential: Cocoa Butter
- Bonus Kit Essential: Band-Aids
