As buzz builds for the upcoming film HIM, one name you’ll be hearing a lot more of is Justin Tipping. The director and storyteller has steadily carved out a reputation for crafting visually rich, emotionally layered narratives that often spotlight identity, culture, and the human experience.
Now, with HIM, he’s stepping further into the spotlight.
A Bay Area native of Filipino (Ilocano, Visayan) and Scandinavian (Swedish, Danish) descent, Tipping first gained recognition with his short film Nani, which explored the intergenerational bond between a young graffiti artist and a grandmother in Oakland. The film won multiple festival awards and immediately marked Tipping as a voice to watch, someone who could weave authenticity into cinematic storytelling.
He built on that momentum with his feature debut, Kicks (2016). The indie coming-of-age drama, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, followed a 15-year-old boy on a gritty journey across Oakland after his sneakers are stolen.
The film starred Mahershala Ali and Kofi Siriboe, mixing realism, surrealism, and lyrical visuals that earned critical praise and showcased Tipping’s ability to capture both the beauty and the harshness of urban adolescence.
Hollywood soon took notice. Tipping transitioned into television, where his fingerprints can be seen on some of the most talked-about shows of the last few years.
His directing credits include episodes of HBO’s Insecure, Netflix’s Dear White People, and Showtime’s The Chi, among others. Each project allowed him to flex his versatility, whether it was comedy, drama, or socially conscious storytelling. He also directed episodes of Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga.
Now, Tipping is taking on HIM, a project that has already drawn attention with Jordan Peele producing and Marlon Wayans starring. The film follows Cameron Cade [Tyriq Withers] a rising quarterback who suffers a potentially career-ending injury after being attacked by an unhinged fan. Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, Isaiah White [Wayans], offers to train him at an isolated compound. However, as the training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma turns into something darker, sending Cam down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for.
HIM hits theaters Friday, September 19. Check out the trailer below.
Photo Credit: Instagram – Jtip
