Oesch grew up in Rebstein, a small rural town in eastern Switzerland, as the son of a doctor. After attending a midnight screening of the movie Jurassic Park in 1993 he decided that he wanted to make movies himself. He went home and shot his first short-film We Are Chips with his father's old camcorder. The short went on to win some local awards and was eventually shown on national television. He was only 14 years old. Oesch graduated with a BA in Cinema-Television in 2004. Only months later he directed his first music video for the alternative rock band Speakers of the House.