Norman Seeff
Norman Seeff graduated with honors in Science and Art at King Edward School in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the age of 17, he was drafted by Highland Park, a leading division one team, into the South African National Soccer League.
Norman enrolled in Medical School and qualified as a medical doctor in 1966 at the age of 26 and following graduation practiced for 3 years as an emergency medical doctor in Soweto.
In December1968, desiring to explore his passion for creative expression in all its disciplines, he relocated to New York and switched careers to the arts.
Under the mentorship of renowned art director, Bob Cato, Seeff was engaged as a graphic designer of album cover art by Columbia Records producing hundreds of album covers of major musical acts. Subsequently he refocused disciplines as a freelance photographer and in a year and a half established himself as a successful 'rock' photographer in New York.
In 1971, Norman was offered the position of Creative Director of United Artists Records and relocated to Los Angeles. Normans approach to collaborative art-direction and design resulted in mltiple Grammy Nominations for album cover design for United Artists..
Two years later Norman opened his first studio on the Sunset Strip as an independent artist.
During this time Seeff evolved a unique process of creative interaction with artists focused on building authentic emotional experiences as a means to capture the vitality of imagery that became his creative signature.
Seeff brought a film crew into a photo-session for the first time in 1975.. With the success of that first session, Seeff committed to documenting his Sessions. To date, he has filmed over 500 sessions with creators and innovators of all disciplines including musicians, actors, writers, directors, scientists, entrepreneurs, athletes, politicians and the documentation continues unabated.
Seeff’s interaction with renowned artists and innovators includes such luminaries as Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, Steve Jobs, The Rolling Stones, Steve Martin, Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, John Huston, Martin Scorsese, Billy Wilder, Bob Fosse, will.i.am, Tina Turner, Alicia Keys, Sir Francis Crick, Nobel laureates and hundreds of renowned public figures.
Seeff’s first photography book Hot Shots, won the New York Directors Club award for best photographic book of the year and his second book, Sessions! has now become a collector’s item. The award winning book, Joni documenting his 17 Sessions with Joni Mitchell was published in 2018.
From 1985 to the end of 2000, Norman shifted disciplines and achieved immediate prominence as a successful director of high-end television commercials for leading advertising agencies and major corporations on a global scale.
In 2000, he returned to his personal ‘Sessions Project’, now focusing on documentary projects.
In his ongoing exploration of creativity in all its forms, Seeff has identified the fundamental archetypal structures of the creative process that has practical applications to the arts, business and educational institutions.
Currently this body of work in the production phase of a multipart documentary series produced in-house at Norman Seeff Productions.
He is currently building the creative curriculum for the envisioned 'Institute of Innovation' focused on empowering human creativity, applicable to arts and business.
Tina Turner · Los Angeles 1983 © Norman Seeff