Draft:Van Neistat

Van Neistat is an American filmmaker known for his short films and ads. He is also an artist, maker, and YouTuber.

Early filmmaking career
In 2000, Neistat and his brother, Casey, embarked on their filmmaking journey by acquiring two iMac DVs. Their initial endeavors revolved around revamping home movie footage filmed during the 1980s and 1990s.

Work with Tom Sachs
In 2001, Neistat and his brother, Casey began working with artist Tom Sachs, ultimately making a series of films about the artist's sculptures and installations. In 2015, Neistat teamed up again with Sachs for the film 'A Space Program'.

iPod's Dirty Secret
Neistat first gained international exposure in 2003 for a three-minute film that he made with his brother, Casey, titled iPod's Dirty Secret, criticizing Apple for not having a battery replacement program for their iPod line of portable media players. The film received national media attention and brought broad attention to the company's policy towards iPod battery replacements. The film was posted to the Internet on September 20, 2003, and quickly attracted media attention. The film was praised as "wonderfully renegade" by The Washington Post.

Apple announced a battery replacement policy on November 14, 2003, and also announced an extended iPod warranty program on November 21. Fox News set the date of the policy change at "two weeks" after the posting of the clip and Neil Cavuto called it a "David and Goliath story" on Fox News's Your World. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Sequeira denied any connection between the film and the new policy, stating the policy revision had been in the works for months before the film was released.

Science Experiments
In 2004, Neistat and his brother produced a film series titled Science Experiments. The 15-minute series featured a number of short films documenting various experiments. The series was included in the 26th São Paulo Biennial in São Paulo, Brazil. The work was popular, and was eventually featured in Creative Time's 59th Minute program showing a one-minute excerpt from Neistat's film every 59 minutes on the Panasonic Times Square Astrovision.

The Neistat Brothers
In July 2008, HBO purchased an eight-episode television series, The Neistat Brothers, for just under $2 million. The series was produced by Van and Casey Neistat, and Tom Scott. Independent film producer Christine Vachon served as consulting producer. Written and directed by Casey and Van, the show is autobiographical and told in the first person. Each of the eight episodes is made up of short stories about the brothers' lives. The show premiered June 4, 2010, on HBO.

The Hollywood Reporter likened the brothers' charm, wit, and simplicity to that of Dr. Seuss. Hank Stuever of the Washington Post praised the brothers' joie de vivre.

A Space Program
In 2015, Neistat teamed up with Tom Sachs and Hailey Gates to direct and co-write the whimsical, sci-fi, docudrama "A Space Program." The movie chronicles a playful and exaggerated journey to Mars that took place in front of an entertained crowd at the Park Avenue Armory in 2012. The film evokes the pioneering spirit of Georges Méliès and the early days of cinema with its display of primitive ingenuity.

Personal Life
Neistat's childhood was representative of the typical Generation X experience. He and his siblings were raised in suburban Connecticut, where their parents occasionally traveled, entrusting a young Van with the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings. He started attending college classes at College of William & Mary in 1996 after his freshman year at West Virginia University. During this timeframe, he adopted his brother, Casey, so that Casey could attend high school in Virginia after Casey ran away from their parents. He resides in Topanga, California with his wife and son.

Van is an avid runner, he runs 4 miles, 5 days a week as of April 2021.

Other Relatives
Louis Nye is his great-uncle.