Brett Wagner

Associate chair, film and television

Education

M.F.A., film and television, New York University
B.A., English, University of Rochester

Credentials

Associate chair of film and television, 2018–present, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

Writer and director, 2022, The Big Bend
- Feature film starring Jason Butler Harner (Rabbit Hole, Ozark)
- Winner, Best Feature Film, Kansas City Film Festival
- Winner, Best Texas Feature, South Texas International Film Festival
- Winner, Best Ensemble Cast, Savannah Film Festival
- Winner, Programmer’s Choice Award for Best Feature, Naples International Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Feature, Hawaii International Film Festival
- Official selection of the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Austin International Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival, Santa Fe Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, Mendocino Film Festival, and St. Louis Film Festival

Writer and director, 2014, Care
- Starring Rachel Brosnahan
- Winner, Best Dramatic Film, Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
- Winner, Best Short Film, Williamsburg Film Festival
- Winner, Best Short Film, Kansas Film Festival
- Winner, Audience Award, Napa Valley Film Festival
- Official Selection, Palm Springs Short Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, BAM Cinemafest, Savannah Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Seattle Independent Film Festival

Writer, director, and producer, 2008, Chief
- World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival
- Winner, Best Dramatic Film, Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
- Winner, Best Short Film Audience Award, Maui Film Festival
- Winner, Audience Award, Hawaii International Film Festival
- Winner, BAFTA Award of Excellence, British Academy of Film and Television Arts
- Winner, Best of the Fest, Nashville Film Festival
- Official Selection, Aspen Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Victoria Independent Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, Siena Film Festival, New Zealand Film Festival, Nashville International Film Festival, Toronto Short Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, Chicago Gen Art Film Festival, Festival of Pacific Arts, Ashland Independent Film Festival, Big Island Film Festival, New Zealand Pasifika Film Festival, Boston Independent Film Festival, Newport International Film Festival, Big Sur Film festival, et al.

Writer and director, 2006, Five Years
- Winner, Best Feature Film, Victoria Film Festival
- Winner, Best Screenplay, Avignon Film Festival
- Winner, Best of the Fest, Sarasota Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Ensemble Cast, Ashland Film Festival
- Nominee, Best Feature Film, Ashland Film Festival
- Official selection, Gen Art Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Phoenix Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Marco Island Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Silver Lake Film Festival, Ojai Film Festival, New York/Avignon Film Festival, Perth International Film Festival, Semerang International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, East Lansing Film Festival, Port Angeles Film Festival, American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre

Commercial director, 2004–present
- Director of broadcast TV commercials for brands such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, EmblemHealth, First Insurance, Lexus, Toyota, Time Warner, Mobi PCS, American Savings Bank, McDonald’s, Burger King, Hawaiian Airlines, Starwod Resorts, et al.

Senior copywriter, 2002–04, ADWorks
- Concepted, pitched, and wrote integrated advertising campaigns for a wide range of regional, national, and international brands; hired, trained, and supervised junior copywriters

Editor, 2001–02, ABC News Productions
- Edited program segments, tags, and teasers for hour-long documentaries produced at the network

Organizations

Member, Directors Guild of America
Represented for film and television by ICM Partners and 3Arts
Represented for commercial work by Anchor Productions in the U.S. and by Zara Arakelyan in Europe