American Authors - Believer

What this video is

Released during the 2012–2014 wave of Brooklyn-based indie acts achieving mainstream crossover via anthemic, emotionally accessible songwriting, 'Believer' arrived alongside the success of American Authors' debut album Oh, What a Life (2014). The song's uplifting thematic core — optimism, perseverance, self-belief — resonated with a post-recession cultural mood seeking feel-good, communal music. The video's…

Why it matters

A representative artifact of early-2010s indie-folk-pop crossover, 'Believer' exemplifies the genre's uplift-driven songwriting and warm, kinetic visual language. Co-directed by two figures who went on to significant industry careers, the video demonstrates how low-budget narrative storytelling…

The director

Anthony Leonardi III is an LA-based director and artist who earned a BFA in Character Animation at Cal Arts and an MFA in directing from the AFI Film Conservatory. He began his career directing music videos before becoming a sought-after storyboard artist,…