“After graduating from high school, I was turned down by every film school I applied to. I took it as a huge blow at the time, but luckily, I was able to land my first job on a film set very early on. At that time, I worked mostly as a lighting technician, but also dabbled as a grip, set dresser, set painter, compositor, editor and eventually a director. I spent about 10 years learning to 'wax on and wax off,' not really realizing that I was building a varied and broad set of skills that would eventually make me the type of DIY filmmaker I am today."

BIO

Toronto native Ken Simpson has worked in film continuously since leaving art school. Over the past twenty-one years as a filmmaker, he has become known for his distinct and complex visual style with an innovative fusion of technology and creativity. His passion for trick photography and visual effects has made Simpson a sought-after director and editor for film and television.

Early on, Simpson received much acclaim as a director for his narrative short film work, including, Happenstance (2009) which according to smartmoviemaking.com is the world's first narrative short film ever to be shot using the iPhone, [Ri-sip-ruh-keyt] (2009) and his epic 20-minute mini-feature, The Fall and Rise of Mickey (2011). His most popular short, Worked for Me (2009) is a touching and funny look at a young man dealing with a devastating breakup, and has garnished awards and various accolades internationally including a Vimeo staff pick.

In the summer of 2013,  Simpson premiered his ambitious $50,000 feature film directorial debut, Headcase (2013), at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival which was then followed by a very successful ten day run in Toronto. In early 2014, Simpson directed the hour-long documentary, The Trouble with Dying about the controversial topic of assisted suicide & euthanasia and its socio-political implications in Canada. The Trouble with Dying was narrated by the Academy award winning actor Christopher Plummer, and aired nationally on Vision TV.

In 2015 Simpson was hired to direct and edit a five-part miniseries as part of a co-production between CTN (Cambodia) and GMA Network (Philippines). The series Blood in Dispute (2015) stars Mikael Daez, Andrea Torres and was co-written by Simpson and Romilly Belcourt based on an outline by Phum Pitch films.

In the Autumn of 2017, Simpson was brought in as interim Post Production Supervisor at MediaOne Creative, shortly after Simpson was offered the full time position which he accepted. At MediaOne, Simpson was able to bring his full skillset to the table; he could often be found directing, camera operating, editing, compositing and sound designing videos for major global brands.

After two and a half years, working on dozens of projects and winning several awards for his World Vision, Truebill, and Vidyard spots, Simpson once again returned to freelancing and immediately began work on the Kenny vs. Spenny 2020 Paldemic special for CBC Gem.

During the actor’s and writer’s strikes, Simpson returned to Cambodia and 2nd unit directed and edited two features, Sugarcane Baby (2023) and 7 Night Curse (2023) for LD Entertainment.

As of 2025, Simpson is currently working as an international freelance director, editor & compositor.