First-generation college graduate and Cleveland, Ohio native, Steven Caple Jr., has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after filmmakers. Directing both film and television, his signature touch and artistic lens have landed him multiple directorial awards as well as a name on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
In 2023, he directed Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which was released by Paramount Pictures. He also notably helmed Creed II starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, and Tessa Thompson. As the second installation of the Creed franchise, heavyweight contender Adonis Creed returns to faceoff against Viktor Drago, son of Ivan Drago. MGM released the feature in November 2018 and the film grossed over $200 million at the worldwide box office to date.
His debut feature film The Land premiered at Sundance 2016. Produced by Macro Ventures, Priority Pictures, and Mass Appeal (Nas), the film was picked up by IFC Films and released theatrically later that summer. Previously, Caple Jr. directed multiple episodes of the BLACK-ISH spinoff GROWN-ISH for Freeform, as well as the mini docu-series Rapture for Netflix. His short films have also won awards at the Director’s Guild of America, NBC Shortcuts, American Black Film Festival, and more.
Furthering his pursuit of excellence, Caple Jr. also entered the world of commercial directing, collaborating with clients ranging from Google and Delta to the NFL. In 2023, he directed a branded entertainment short film for Coca-Cola’s anthology series, The Santa Stories. His film, Ho Ho Heist, won Best Episodic Series at Tribeca X.
With Steven’s passion for humanity at the forefront, he tackles issues beyond the camera lens and within his community. Caple co-founded Engage the Vision, a non-profit organization that mentors youth in his community and helps foster a new generation of creative minds. In staying true to his native Cleveland roots, his work in capturing the city’s vivacious spirit led Cleveland Magazine to acknowledge Caple Jr. as one of Cleveland’s Most Interesting Persons in 2017 with “his push for honest and raw stories.”
