Rhys Thomas (born 18 September 1979) is a Welsh director and producer best known for his work on Saturday Night Live for NBC and the series Documentary Now! for IFC.[2][3]
Rhys Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Morgan Rhys Thomas[1] 18 September 1979 Cowbridge, Wales |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Occupation(s) | Director, Producer, Writer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Career
editRhys Thomas became the Saturday Night Live Film Unit producer in 2005 and in 2010 began directing shorts, music videos and commercial parodies for the show. He also directed and produced the SNL opening credit sequence in 2012–2018 and the opening credits for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, which he also produced and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special in 2015. In 2015 he made his feature film debut with the film Staten Island Summer[4][5] written by Colin Jost.[6] That year he also directed John Mulaney’s Emmy nominated stand up special The Comeback Kid for Netflix.[7]
Thomas is also a co-creator and director of the Emmy nominated IFC series, Documentary Now!.[8][9] In 2016, he also produced the Adele Live in New York City concert special for NBC, for which he earned his fourth Prime Time Emmy nomination. He also produced and directed the opening credits for the talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers.[10] In 2017, he produced and directed all six episodes of the Amazon Prime show Comrade Detective[11] starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He teamed with Bill Hader again in 2018 for Pringles' first ever Super Bowl commercial.[12]
In 2021, Thomas served as an Executive Producer and directed episodes 1, 2 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Hawkeye.[13]
Filmography
editFilm
- Staten Island Summer (2015)
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2016 | Saturday Night Live | Yes | Yes | SNL shorts |
| 2012–present | Saturday Night Live Opening Credits | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Newsreaders | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Comeback Kid | Yes | No | |
| Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | Segment | Yes | ||
| Adele Live in New York City | Yes | Yes | Opening Sequence | |
| 2015–2022 | Documentary Now! | Yes | Executive | Also creator |
| 2016–present | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Yes | No | Opening Titles |
| 2017 | Comrade Detective | Yes | Executive | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Yes | No | |
| Kansas City | Yes | Executive | Pilot | |
| 2019 | John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | Chad | Yes | Executive | Pilot |
| Hawkeye | Yes | Executive | 3 episodes |
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Documentary Now! | Nominated | [14] |
References
edit- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
- ^ "Rhys Thomas Interview". Charlie Rose.
- ^ "Working on the latest 'Documentary Now!' episode is like 'SNL' all over again for Armisen and Hader". 12 October 2016 – via LA Times.
- ^ McNary, Dave (19 September 2013). "Gina Gershon Joins 'Staten Island Summer' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ "Netflix Picks Up SNL-Fueled Staten Island Summer Comedy". Slash Film. 11 June 2015.
- ^ "'Staten Island Summer': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. 6 August 2015.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (22 June 2016). "Channing Tatum & A24 To Produce 1980s Romanian Cop TV Show Spoof As Series". Deadline.
- ^ Noble, Matt (18 August 2016). "[WATCH] 'Documentary Now!' star Bill Hader, directors Alex Buono & Rhys Thomas dish Emmy-nominated show". Gold Derby.
- ^ ""How did I get here?": Documentary Now!'s little Talking Heads tribute that could". AV Club. 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Rhys Thomas". IFC.
- ^ Schildhause, Chloe (August 4, 2017). "What the Hell is Comrade Detective?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
- ^ "See Pringles' Full Super Bowl Ad, a Bid to Wow You With 'Flavor Stacking'". Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ Harper, Rachael (24 November 2021). "Hawkeye: Interview with series head director Rhys Thomas". SciFiNow.
- ^ Voyles, Blake (September 20, 2023). "83rd Peabody Award Nominees". Retrieved September 20, 2023.
External links
edit- Rhys Thomas at IMDb