The title "Creative Director" is one that many people don't understand, wondering what industry or field it belongs to. However, everyone knows the name Denis Dang and the music videos with millions of views that he created the visuals and wrote the content for…
Denis Dang, whose real name is Dang Duc Hieu (born in 1993), was born and raised in Vinh City. Hieu was an excellent student in all natural science subjects. From a young age, his family had high expectations and wanted him to become a general practitioner. Hieu carried his parents' dreams into every page of his books, hoping to achieve great success. He then passed the entrance exams for two universities simultaneously: Hanoi Medical University and Foreign Trade University, much to the joy and pride of his family. However, even during his school years, Hieu showed early talent and creativity in image creation, photography, and drawing; in his dreams about his future career, he always hoped to work in a field related to image creation.
Speaking of Hieu's academic path, after passing the entrance exams for two top universities, his family was convinced he would choose Hanoi Medical University. However, for some reason, at the last minute, Hieu asked his family for permission to study at the Foreign Trade University because he thought only this field would help him get closer to his dream of creative freedom in image creation.
During his years at the Foreign Trade University, even Hieu's parents couldn't have imagined that their son could win so many prestigious awards outside his field of study: Top 5 promising young photographers in 2013, Talented Young Student in 2012, First Prize in the Best Student Singing Contest in 2011. In addition, with his impressive achievements and grades, he also received a master's scholarship in France. This was the moment Hieu found the answer to who he was and what kind of work he enjoyed most.
After graduating with honors from the Foreign Trade University, Hieu did not go to study in France, but chose to stay in Vietnam to pursue his dream.
“Unlike my peers who want to make money early and establish their expertise, I wanted to find a workplace that inspired me and allowed me to thrive,” Hieu said. And luckily, Hieu found what he needed: a company specializing in producing music videos hired him as an accountant. There, Hieu was introduced to and quickly captivated by the teams involved in music video production.
At that time, the trend in music videos in the Vietnamese market lacked innovation. Most music videos by young singers hadn't found their own unique style, breakthrough, or new approach. Furthermore, the trend of photo manipulation (a style combining photography with surreal special effects) wasn't widespread in Vietnam. Hieu immediately researched and discovered that incorporating this visual style into music videos or short films would be very impressive. He immediately advised the production teams. Gradually, Hieu volunteered to create visual concepts and unexpectedly received enthusiastic praise. Not long after, Hieu was entrusted with creating the visuals and content for his first music videos as Creative Director.
As the person who brought the title "Creative Director" to public attention when discussing an artist's product, Dang Duc Hieu said: "In this position, I am responsible for the scriptwriting, visual production for music videos, as well as conceptualizing and creating the overall concept. Thanks to the creative director, artists can best visualize what the final product they present to the public will look like." From there, songs like "Ghen" by Erik, "Mau Nuoc Mat" and "Trong Tri Nho Cua Anh" by Nguyen Tran Trung Quan, and later "Nuoc Chay Hoa Troi" by Nguyen Tran Trung Quan, "Dung Hoi Em" (My Tam), "No Boyfriend" (Hoang Yen Chibi), and "Nang Tien Ca" (Hoa Minzy)... were born, quickly causing a huge sensation among fans with millions of followers due to their groundbreaking visuals and content.
In particular, his ability to create drama in each story has earned Hieu (hereinafter referred to as Denis Dang) the title of… a master; each of his visual concepts quickly goes viral in the entertainment industry.
In 2023 alone, Denis Dang served as Creative Director for Ha Nhi's "Ai Lau Doi Mi Hoen" and Mina Young's "Cung Trang," among others. Anyone who has worked with Denis Dang knows he is an extremely meticulous person on set. This pursuit of perfection results in visually stunning and high-quality music videos, comparable to those of international stars. Singer Nguyen Tran Trung Quan once said: "Denis always pushes artists to their limits and challenges them to the maximum. However, anyone who gets a collaboration with him gets maximum satisfaction, and that music video is sure to become famous."
Recently, Denis Dang has been participating in various projects, taking on a role. Most notably, in Hoang Yen Chibi's music video "No Boyfriend," Duc Phuc's "If We Still Love Each Other, Who Would Leave?", and Nguyen Tran Trung Quan's "Color of Tears," Denis served as both creative director and the male lead. Not content with just making his mark in his previous fields, he recently impressed the public again in Hoang Thuy Linh's music show, short films, and especially the reality TV show "Beautiful Sisters Riding the Waves" on national television.
