Bret Tanzer is a Production Designer, with over 20 years in the film business. Growing up in Chicago, he played punk music, screen-printed merch for bands, and filmed stop-motion videos in miniature sets he’d built in his mom’s garage (she kindly parked in the street).
His passion for movies and obscure comedy grew from habitual viewings of B-Horror flicks and Monty Python sketches with his dad. He studied at CalArts in Los Angeles, and surfed every morning—albeit not terribly well. After graduating, he navigated the industry for a bit, and his talents naturally segued into pursuing design for film. He was immediately hooked after having the auspicious honor of cutting his teeth assisting in the Art Department and model shop on Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. This massive opportunity subsequently led to gigs as Art Director and Graphic Artist on equally inspiriting projects with Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Michael Mann and Tony Scott at the helm.
His most notable Production Design work can be seen in Andy Siara’s time-jumping, genre-bending series The Resort, Christian Breslauer’s Emmy nominated, multi-artist, narrative music video Worlds ‘21 for Riot Games, James Morosini’s cringe-core comedy I Love My Dad (SXSW ‘22 Grand Jury Prize), and Josh Ruben’s revered horror/comedy Werewolves Within (Tribeca ‘21). Bret travels as much as possible with his family—constantly cultivating their appreciation for nature, diverse cultures, and their unique visual languages. He is a proud member of the Art Directors Guild (IATSE 800), and the Production Designers Collective. Bret is represented by the magnificent folks at Gersh.
