William Alexander Julien
William Alexander Julien is a filmmaker and the founder and CEO of Horizon Studios, a premium commercial video production company based in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The work is built to perform: Horizon's films have helped companies raise over $10 million in funding and investment, and have powered product launches that went viral with millions of views across social media.
Leveraging AI-driven workflows, William brings the most advanced technology available into the production process, and has become a leader in the use of technology for storytelling and production. He builds tools that fold AI into how films get made and writes on how the technology is reshaping the economics of the industry.
As a director, William has made more than 18 short films. La Cle De L'Amour earned over 20 festival selections and awards, Time Before Christmas has passed 65,000 views on YouTube, and Sabre: A Fencer's Story, drawn from his years as an internationally competitive sabre fencer, ran the 2023/2024 festival circuit.
He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University in Cinematic Arts, where he won the school's inaugural Outstanding Filmmaker Award and competed on the Division I varsity fencing team. He is currently an MFA candidate in Film Production at USC.
William has worked in development and production at 2.0 Entertainment, the company founded by Doug Belgrad, former president of Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group and now vice president of film at Netflix. He has also worked with two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple at Cabin Creek Films, producer Ross Dinerstein at Campfire Studios, and the talent agency UTA.
A national champion and U.S. World Cup team fencer, William brings the same discipline to the camera. His films aim to reach global audiences with work that is visually spectacular and worth thinking about.