Heartbreak to Art,
Wounds become the medium; pain recut as art.
Role
Motion Design, Edit, Color, VO Direction, Logo Animation, Post Supervision
Year
2024, 2025
Project
Sean Leon
Client
CBC Arts
CBC Arts
Client
Sean Leon
Project
Conceived as a ten‑film anthology, Heartbreak to Art set out to prove that creative practice isn’t just catharsis; it’s architecture for survival. Each spot was treated as an impressionistic portrait: floaty handheld, a powerful soundtrack and a restrained voice‑over that lets confession breathe. The brief was simple: show the exact moment pain turns into process, then capture the result of that alchemy.
From pre‑interviews to color grade, the production rhythm mirrored therapy. Shoots were previsualized around the artists’ actual creative rituals, so we could embed ourselves as much as possible into their process.
The series was released in tandem on CBCArts.ca and the network's 200k+ subscriber YouTube channel. Beyond the metrics, a secondary and more important win is cultural durability. Giving schools, youth‑services organizations, recovery and wellness programs something to point people in need to. Proving that these short‑form, elevated-documentary-style portraits can be both art and an actionable resource.
Sean Leon,
Multidisciplinary rapper-producer Sean Leon has carved an auteur’s path by blurring concept-album storytelling with A-list songwriting chops. As founder of the self-run IXXI Initiative, Leon honed a fiercely DIY ethos that now underpins credits ranging from Justin Bieber’s global No. 1 “Peaches” to multiple tracks on Kanye West’s Jesus Is King, Donda, and the 2024 ¥$/Ye & Ty Dolla $ign opener “Stars.”
His own catalogue is equally ambitious: the film-soundtrack LP In Loving Memory (2023) memorialized his late brother and landed on the 2024 Polaris Prize long-list, while recent singles like “mnu” and “sean leon must die” (2025) push his sonic palette into ever-bolder territory.
Relentlessly shape-shifting, Leon stands out as a visionary storyteller whose pen and production continually stretch the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop and R&B.
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company
Conceived as a ten‑film anthology, Heartbreak to Art set out to prove that creative practice isn’t just catharsis; it’s architecture for survival. Each spot was treated as an impressionistic portrait: floaty handheld, a powerful soundtrack and a restrained voice‑over that lets confession breathe. The unified brief was simple: show the exact moment pain turns into process, then capture the result of that alchemy.
From pre‑interviews to color grade, the production rhythm mirrored therapy. Shoots were previsualized around the artists’ actual creative rituals, so we could embed ourselves as much as possible into their process.
The series was released in tandem on CBCArts.ca and the network's 200k+ subscriber YouTube channel. Beyond the metrics, a secondary and more important win is cultural durability. Giving schools, youth‑services organizations, recovery and wellness programs something to point people in need to. Proving that these short‑form, elevated-documentary-style portraits can be both art and an actionable resource.
Sean Leon,
Multidisciplinary rapper-producer Sean Leon has carved an auteur’s path by blurring concept-album storytelling with A-list songwriting chops. As founder of the self-run IXXI Initiative, Leon honed a fiercely DIY ethos that now underpins credits ranging from Justin Bieber’s global No. 1 “Peaches” to multiple tracks on Kanye West’s Jesus Is King, Donda, and the 2024 ¥$/Ye & Ty Dolla $ign opener “Stars.”
His own catalogue is equally ambitious: the film-soundtrack LP In Loving Memory (2023) memorialized his late brother and landed on the 2024 Polaris Prize long-list, while recent singles like “mnu” and “sean leon must die” (2025) push his sonic palette into ever-bolder territory.
Relentlessly shape-shifting, Leon stands out as a visionary storyteller whose pen and production continually stretch the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop and R&B.
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company
Director
First Last
Cinematographer
First Last
Color
Company
First Last
Online
Company
First Last
Audio
Company
First Last
Edit
Company
First Last
Production Company
Company