STRANGE PILGRIM

STRANGE PILGRIM is the directing team of Producer/Director Tommy Walker and DP/Director Sam Chase. The duo first crossed paths in the early 2000s while shooting a documentary about a charter school in the South Bronx for the Robin Hood Foundation. Over the years, their professional lives continued to intersect in serendipitous ways. In 2019, they formalized their collaboration by founding Strange Pilgrim—a creative partnership driven by a shared passion for crafting content that inspires and fosters inclusion, guided by curiosity and compassion.

Tommy Walker is a seasoned producer and director specializing in documentaries and commercials. He directed God Grew Tired of Us, which won both the Best Documentary and Audience Award at Sundance. His other creative producer credits include HBO’s The List series, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, and Kaepernick & America, the latter of which he also directed. Tommy has produced hundreds of commercial projects, bringing a wealth of expertise to every endeavor.

Sam Chase is an experienced Director/DP in film, television, commercials, and documentaries. He has shot hundreds of commercials and has extensive experience in the DP/Director space, bringing creative vision and technical precision to every project. His diverse credits include the 2021 Oscar-nominated short The Letter Room (starring Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat), the gothic period thriller The Housemaid (IFC), and the $30M Chinese action-comedy Hollywood Adventures(produced by Justin Lin). His work has been featured at prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, Art Basel, Sitges, and LAFF. Additionally, he has shot units for major productions like Men in Black: International and USA Network’s The Sinner. In the documentary space, Sam has served as a camera director for FX’s The Weekly and cinematographer for numerous projects, including the Emmy-nominated A Death in St. Augustine (PBS Frontline) and the feature-length documentary series Cocaine: History Between the Lines (History Channel).

Together, Tommy and Sam have created long- and short-form branded content, often incorporating documentary-style storytelling or a focus on real people. Their clients include Cadillac, The Home Depot, Vivo (China's #1 mobile manufacturer), and Xiaomi (China's #3 mobile manufacturer). Most recently, they collaborated on a multifaceted campaign for Xiaomi, showcasing its flagship mobile phone camera system. Sam produced and shot a short film directed by veteran Emmy winner Adam Bernstein (Breaking Bad, Silo, Better Call Saul), while Tommy and Sam collaborated on the making-of featurette and a TV commercial for the campaign. Both the short film and the making-of featurette were written, edited, post-produced, and scored entirely by their team.

Strange Pilgrim is continually on the hunt for fresh, inspiring projects and collaborators who are eager to tackle creative challenges and bring meaningful ideas to life.