Inspired by his experience as a first-generation Afghan American, Daniel’s work celebrates underrepresented communities.
View DocumentaryAs a photographer, Daniel specializes in documentary and commercial work. He has shot commissioned projects for Nike, Vogue, Taschen, Spotify, FUJIFILM, and Porsche featuring celebrities like Drake, Marshmello, Will Ferrell, and Snoop Dogg. His projects have received an International Photography Award twice.
View CommercialAs a filmmaker, he’s directed commercials for Mercedes-Benz, FUJIFILM, Adidas, PUMA and Sony and produced a feature length documentary for Amazon Prime Video. His projects have received ADDY awards, an MTV VMA nomination and a Tribeca Film Festival selection.
View FilmsDaniel Malikyar (b. 1995, Los Angeles, CA) is a photographer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
In 2015, he was selected as the youngest official FUJIFILM X-Photographer in the world. He has represented the brand through international exhibitions, speaking events, billboards, and commercial campaigns. Shortly after, Malikyar became the Creative Director for multi-platinum artist, Marshmello. For 4 years he directed the creative strategy and production of the artists visual content. During that time, Marshmello’s YouTube subscribers grew from 25k to 45 million, making him one of the top 3 most followed artists on the platform in only 4 years.
In 2017, he co-founded production company and creative agency, MGX CREATIVE, where his branded projects have received over 5 billion YouTube views. MGX has also produced feature documentaries for Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Originals.
In 2020, Malikyar co-founded fine art gallery, Santo, where he has released original fine art print collaborations with Mercedes-Benz and prolific Porsche collector, Magnus Walker. Santo represents a select roster of photographers and has collectors in over 25 countries.
In 2022, Malikyar was commissioned by Taschen for their book, Ice Cold: A Hip Hop Jewelry History, and his images were exhibited at the Armory Show in New York. He also produced the critically acclaimed feature documentary, Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Amazon Studios. The film explored socioeconomics, race, and the prison industrial complex through the rise of hip-hop superstar Lil Baby and featured exclusive interviews with Drake, Young Thug, and Gunna. Following its release this August, Untrapped was the #3 film on Amazon Prime Video.
His work has been seen in magazines, television, and billboards around the world with features in Vogue, The NY Times, ABC, and Hypebeast.
View PressDaniel’s clients are industry leaders across popular culture.