Jonathan Glazer was born into a Jewish family in London, and studied in a Jewish school. After studying theatre design at Nottingham Trent University, Glazer started out directing theatre and making film and television trailers, including award-winning work for the BBC. In 1993 he wrote and directed three short films of his own ("Mad", "Pool" and "Commission"), and joined Academy Commercials, a production company based in London. He has directed popular campaigns for Guinness (Swimblack and Surfer) and Stella Artois (Devil's Island). Since the mid-1990s he has directed a number of music videos, and was named MTV Director of the Year 1997. His work in these areas is often noted for its originality.