Brett Morgen is an Academy Award nominated producer and director. His credits include CHICAGO 10 (2007), which he wrote, produced and directed. Starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Roy Scheider, Live Schreiber, and Jeffery Wright, CHICAGO 10 premiered on opening night of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The mash-up documentary utilizes archival footage, animation, and music to look back at the eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Morgen's credits also include the Robert Evans biopic THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (2002), which he wrote, produced, and directed (with Nanette Burstein). THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released nationwide in the summer of 2002 by Focus Features and was named one of the ten best films of 2002 by over 50 film critics in the US. It was named Best Documentary of 2002 by the International Press Academy (The Golden Satellite Award), the Boston Film Critics, Seattle Film Critics, and Washington D.C. Film Critics. It was released in the UK by Momentum Pictures and has been theatrically released all over the world.
Morgen also photographed, produced, and co-directed the critically acclaimed boxing documentary ON THE ROPES (1999), which premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival where it received the Special Jury Award. Later that year Morgen was nominated for an Academy Award for best Feature Documentary, a Directors Guild Award, and Independent Spirit Award, and the 2000 International Documentary Associations’ Achievement Award (Best Feature Length Documentary). The film won the DGA Award and the IDA Award, making Morgen one of the youngest recipient ever to win both these awards. ON THE ROPES was released theatrically by Winstar Cinema and is available on DVD from Winstar.
Morgen's other credits include SWEET SCIENCE (2003) a feature length documentary about Roy Jones Jr.'s quest to win the Heavyweight Championship. The film was produced by Wieden and Kennedy for Brand Jordan and Nike Entertainment. In 2001, Morgen released SAY IT LOUD: A CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSIC IN AMERICA (2001). The five part series, which Morgen produced and directed for VH1 and Rhino Home Entertainment, was executive produced by Quincy Jones. In 1996 Morgen produced, directed, photographed, and edited the Oliver North documentary OLLIES'S ARMY. The film played at film festivals around the globe and won numerous awards including a Golden Gate Award at the 1996 San Francisco Film Festival. Also, in 1996, Morgen directed the 26 part PBS series, ON TOUR. Morgen has produced programming for Lifetime, Sundance Channel, CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Court TV, TLC, PBS, and VH1.
In 2003, Morgen created and executive produced KID MOTORIOUS, a weekly animated series for Comedy Central based on the life of Robert Evans. Also in 2003, Morgen began directing commercials for Anonymous Content. His first campaign, "Nimrods" for ESPN has been written about in such publications as The New Your Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, and over 100 other publications.
The campaign has also been featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on CBS Morning Show. Morgen recently completed campaigns for Kleenex, Budweiser, EGG, IBM, Southwest Airlines, the NBA Finals, Kellogg's Smart Start, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In November 2007, Morgen premiered NIMROD NATION, and 8 part documentary series he created and executive produced for the Sundance Channel. The series, which was inspired by his commercial work for ESPN, explores life in the isolated frontier town of Watersmeet, Michigan. Life there is revolving around family, hunting, and the local high school, home of the Watersmeet Nimrods.
Morgen received an MFA in film from NYU in 1998 and a BA from Hampshire College in 1993.
