Personal details
- Birth Date: 1981-05-11
- Professions: Music Department, Director, Writer
Dan Trachtenberg’s not your average Hollywood director—he’s kind of a geek legend. The guy first popped onto the radar with 10 Cloverfield Lane back in 2016, which was this tense, claustrophobic nightmare that made everyone afraid of basements (as if we needed another reason). That movie didn’t just get people talking; it snagged him a Directors Guild nomination. Not too shabby for a first feature, right? But before all the movie buzz, Trachtenberg was deep in the trenches of nerd-dom, co-hosting The Totally Rad Show—basically YouTube gold for gamers and movie buffs—and kicking back on podcasts like Geekdrome and Ctrl+Alt+Chicken. Revision3, the network that hosted all those, was like the Wild West of online content before streaming was cool. Then there’s his viral hit, Portal: No Escape. If you love the Portal video games, you probably lost your mind over that short film. It’s still one of those things people reference when talking about video game adaptations done right. He’s also tackled TV, directing “Playtest” for Black Mirror (yeah, the trippy VR episode) and kicking off The Boys on Amazon Prime, which basically blew up the superhero genre. He even directed the premiere of The Lost Symbol on Peacock and produced it too, just for good measure. And the guy’s not slowing down. Next up, he’s helming the fifth Predator movie and apparently working on a Waterworld series. So yeah, if it’s nerdy, epic, or slightly terrifying, Trachtenberg’s probably involved.
reference nDan’s got quite the geek cred, honestly. He used to run GeekDrome.com and then jumped on board as co-host for the “Totally Rad Show,” teaming up with Alex Albrecht and Jeff Cannata—yeah, that trio had some wild chemistry. Not just a host, though; Dan also wrote and directed the short film “Kickin’” back in 2003. It’s one of those under-the-radar gems that’s got its own cult following if you know where to look. On top of that, he’s been behind the camera for a bunch of TV commercials. The guy’s basically been everywhere in nerd and pop culture, weaving through internet fame and film projects like he’s playing hopscotch. It’s kind of wild how he balances all this stuff—one minute he’s directing, next he’s riffing on video games or movies with his buddies, all with this laid-back, relatable energy. Feels like he’s been part of internet history forever.
May 11, 1981
Konidela Ram Charan
44 years old