Brendan Cleak is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in San Diego, California. His films explore various aspects of the human condition, utilizing unconventional and innovative camera and narrative techniques to bring the stories to life.
In 2018, he co-founded One Apparatus Productions, a boutique film studio born from the idea that the human eye interface becomes part of the camera itself, informed by our most human traits: empathy, critical thought and a willingness to love unconditionally. One Apparatus is designed to support small scale independent productions, specializing in naturalistic documentaries, experimental filmmaking, and films that are unafraid to challenge conventional narrative structures.
AWARDS
2025 Winner of the Award of Excellence: Sci-fi/Horror at the Santa Barbara Indie Film Festival (Motherthief)
2025 San Diego Press Club Award Winner: 1st Place - Video: Feature - Light Subject - “Graduation Day 2025 | Scripps Research"
2025 San Diego Press Club Award Winner: 1st Place - Video: Feature - Serious Subject - “How Scientists are Preparing for a Possible H5N1 Pandemic"
2024 San Diego Press Club Award Winner: 2nd Place - Video: Feature - Serious Subject - “The Next 100 Years of Scripps Research: A Century of Science Changing Life"
2024 San Diego Press Club Award Winner: 3rd Place - Video: Feature - Light Subject “Graduation Day 2024 | Scripps Research"