Makoto Hirano is a filmmaker, creative director, and executive producer with over 25 years of international experience. Born in Tokyo and raised in Egypt and the United States, he began his career in New York before relocating to Sydney, where he launched his directing career and earned Cannes Lions and a British D&AD. He later founded Beast Media, with studios in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York, directing more than 30 commercials and leading campaigns for brands such as Godiva that helped double sales across multiple markets in six years. Outside advertising, his debut novel, The German Swimmer, a work of literary fiction, is represented by Susanna Lea Associates in London.