Ariel Schulman

1981-10-01 · New York, New York, USA

Ariel Schulman (born October 1, 1981) is an American director, known for working with his creative partner, Henry Joost. Their first feature documentary, Catfish, premiered at the Sundance film festival where it received critical acclaim and went on to a nationwide release in Fall 2010. They next directed Paranormal Activity 3 and 4, as well as the thrillers Nerve and Project Power. Henry and Rel are also Executive Producers on Catfish the TV Show, and have directed dozens of commercials and short films including A Brief History of John Baldessari, narrated by Tom Waits, which has been screened at over 75 film festivals worldwide. Their 2011 Google commercial Dear Sophie was named Time Magazine's Best Commercial of the Year. They have also made a number of short films for Vogue Magazine starring Lena Dunham, Margot Robbie, and Taylor Swift, accumulating over 5 million views. In addition to several projects in development, Henry & Rel wrote and are attached to direct an adaptation of Edward Abbey's novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, to be produced by Ed Pressman and Gary Burden.