Directors You Feel You "Discovered..."

[Pulpmariachi]

So, the question is, are there any directors, or hell, even screenwriters, that you felt you knew about before they made it really big?

I'm only, like 18, so I can't say, "Yeah, I knew Spielberg from Duel before he made Jaws, so that's what go me in the theater." But I can say "I knew of Brad Bird from The Simpsons and The Iron Giant before he made the The Incredibles, so that was one of the many major factors that got me into that film."

Do you kinda get what I'm saying?

Besides Bird, I don't really know of any directors I really loved before they made it big and became household names. I'm sure a lot of people can say Peter Jackson from stuff like...whatever horror things he did in New Zealand, Heavenly Creatures, and The Frighteners...but I can't.

[Heineken Skywalker]

Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith!
Loved Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS from the first time I saw it, before the hype machine really started rolling with PULP FICTION.
Same with Smith's CLERKS. Didn't really know anything about the movie other than what I had seen in trailers.
I saw both of those movies before any of my friends did too, so I was the one running around saying, "You gotta see this movie!".

[FromDuskTillShaun]

Even though he hasn't directed a whole lot, I would have to say Troy Duffy. I watched Boondock Saints before it hit big and I loved it. Problem is, I don't think he will direct much, because of his falling out with the Weinsteins.

[Quorthon]

-Don Coscarelli... no, that was from my Mom...
-George Romero... wait, Mom again...
-Hmmm.... I wish I could say Takeshi Miike, but a friend of mine discovered him...
-Paul Verhoeven... but, I'd been watching his films for a long time before I became kind of a fan...

I guess I discovered nobody. At least I have my favorites...

[LivingDeadGirl]

Wish I could say QT, but I didn't see RD until after PF broke...
Maybe Kathryn Bigelow? After Near Dark she did Point Break & Strange Days...maybe not as successful as some of the others, but still...

[Bartwald]

Peter Jackson and Kevin Smith for sure - but they became oh-so-famous soon after my discovery, so I can't treat them as "my" directors, sadly; but like and respect them a lot anyway, obviously.