Dan Trachtenberg

Dan Trachtenberg is an American filmmaker whose career has spanned a remarkable range of media, from viral short films to high‑budget blockbuster features. Born on May 11, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he first gained attention with the 2011 short Portal: No Escape, a fan‑made homage to the popular video game that amassed tens of millions of online views and demonstrated his knack for blending suspense with inventive visual storytelling. After graduating from Temple University in 2003, he directed several commercials for major brands such as Lexus, Nike, and Coca‑Cola, sharpening his ability to convey narrative in a compact, high‑impact format. In the early 2010s he co‑hosted The Totally Rad Show and the Geekdrome podcast, establishing a reputation within the online creator community and expanding his skill set into hosting and production. His first feature‑length breakthrough came with 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), a claustrophobic sci‑fi thriller that earned a Directors Guild of America nomination and solidified his reputation as a director capable of delivering tense, character‑driven stories on a modest budget. Building on that success, Trachtenberg entered the Predator franchise, directing Prey (2022) and later overseeing the development of Predator: Badlands (2025) and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), projects that showcase his versatility across live‑action and animation. His television work includes directing pilot episodes for The Boys (2019) and The Lost Symbol (2021), as well as episodes of Black Mirror (2016) and the final season of Stranger Things (2025). Throughout his career he has remained active in podcasting, contributing to shows like Ctrl+Alt+Chicken, and continues to push the boundaries of genre storytelling while maintaining a strong connection to his fan‑base.