Brian McGinn

Brian McGinn is an American television and film director, writer, producer, and showrunner whose career has spanned a remarkable range of documentary and scripted projects. Born on 1984-10-12 in Palo Alto, California, he grew up in an academically inclined household, with a mother who worked as an art history librarian and a father who taught ethics and technology at Stanford University. After graduating from Palo Alto High School, he earned an English degree and a certificate in the Film/Video/Digital Program from Duke University in 2007, laying a solid foundation for his visual storytelling. His early work includes the short films Llamas for Ken (2007), The Frozen City (2008) — which received an honorable mention at the 2009 Cleveland International Film Festival — and Carry (2009), demonstrating a knack for blending humor with poignant observation. Between 2011 and 2014 he directed a series of viral videos for Funny or Die, collaborating with emerging actors such as Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz‑Plasse, and Alison Brie, and later contributed to the HBO special Ferrell Takes The Field. In 2011 he co‑directed the documentary American Teacher with Vanessa Roth, and in 2012 he wrote and directed The Record Breaker, a short about Guinness‑record holder Ashrita Furman that collected awards at festivals including Big Sky and Full Frame. Since 2015 he has served as an executive producer and director on Netflix’s acclaimed documentary series Chef’s Table, earning three Emmy nominations, and he added two more nominations for his work on the Netflix documentary Amanda Knox. Together with David Gelb and Jason Sterman he runs the production company Supper Club, behind series such as Street Food and projects on Disney+, including Marvel’s 616 and Obi‑Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return. His recent credits include producing the AI‑focused documentary Machine (2019), directing an episode of Trial By Media (2020), and writing the Disney+ film Wolfgang about chef Wolfgang Puck. Throughout his career McGinn has combined a keen eye for human stories with a versatile production skill set, establishing him as a leading voice in contemporary documentary filmmaking.