Otis Sallid

Otis Sallid is a director, choreographer, and producer whose accomplishments in theater, television, and film are known throughout the entertainment industry.

Showing an affinity for dance at a young age, Sallid received a full scholarship to study dance at Juilliard School. After graduating, he worked as an actor and dancer for numerous Broadway shows and dance companies, realizing it was his dream to write, produce, choreograph, and direct. After launching his production company, Creative Otis, he directed, produced, and choreographed commercials for clients such as Ford, Coca-Cola, General Motors, and McDonald’s. Moving on to music videos, he mixed his talents as an innovative choreographer and an imaginative director, winning a 1993 MTV Video Music Award for best rap video.

Sallid directed several television episodes of Living Single and For Your Love. In 1995, he conceived the hit Broadway show Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and choreographed the Academy Awards the following year. For the rest of the decade, he worked with artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Tony Bennett, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, and Prince.