Crafting a film career

Justin Tipping '07

By Isabella Venegas '27

THE 2025 UNIVERSAL PICTURES supernatural horror film “HIM,” starring Marlon Wayans and Julia Fox, was co-written and directed by Gaucho alum Justin Tipping, who earned his Bachelor of Arts in film and media studies at UC Santa Barbara. Drawn to film after taking classes and studying abroad in Italy, Tipping credits UCSB’s theory-driven curriculum with shaping his approach to storytelling and cultural analysis. He points to courses in film theory and exposure to postwar cinema as especially formative, helping him understand how film operates not just as entertainment but as a medium that reflects and shapes society. 

After UCSB, Tipping earned a Master of Fine Arts in directing from the American Film Institute, where he further developed his voice as a filmmaker. His work has since spanned television and feature films, earning recognition at festivals and establishing him as a director interested in blending genre with grounded, character-driven storytelling. His projects often explore questions of identity, ambition and belonging, returning to the emotional stakes that underpin even the most stylized narratives. 

“The process from conception to screen is a very long time,” he said, noting that each version of a project reveals something new. Rather than trying to control every outcome, he approaches directing “more like a sculptor,” uncovering the story as it takes shape. 

Photo by Obidi Nzeribe for Universal Pictures

With “HIM,” Tipping brings together sports and horror to examine the pressures of greatness and the psychological toll of success. The film reflects his interest in unexpected genre combinations, as well as his focus on personal connection to the material. Drawing in part from his own experiences as an athlete, he explores the intensity, ritual and masculinity that can define competitive spaces. 

Tipping describes filmmaking as an evolving, collaborative process, one that shifts at every stage, from writing through editing. That mindset continues to guide his work as he develops new projects across film and television. “You can’t create anything,” he said, “unless you have experiences.” 

Living in Los Angeles, Tipping early on found collaborators among other emerging filmmakers, often trading roles on one another’s projects and building experience through hands-on work. That collaborative spirit continues to inform how he approaches sets today, where experimentation and shared investment in the story are key. For Tipping, there is no single path into the industry, only the commitment to keep making work. 

“There really isn’t a ‘right’ way in,” he said, “other than you just have to create.”