Kat Candler (born November 11, 1974) is an American film writer, producer, and director. She wrote and directed the 2014 film '' Hellion,'' and has worked on television shows including ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...

'' and ''

Queen Sugar ''Queen Sugar'' is an American drama television series created and executive produced by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey serving as an executive producer. DuVernay also directed the first two episodes. The series is based on the 2014 novel o ...

''.

Life

Candler grew up in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. After graduating from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

, she began her filmmaking career in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

Career

''Hellion'', starring actors

Aaron Paul Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including three Primetime Emmy ...

and

Juliette Lewis Juliette Lake Lewis (born June 21, 1973) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is known for her portrayals of offbeat characters, often in films with dark plots, themes and settings. Lewis gained prominence in American cinema during t ...

, screened at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. Candler's work in television includes directing seven episodes of

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She is a recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, NAACP Image Awards, a British Academy Film Awards, ...

and Oprah Winfrey's ''Queen Sugar.'' Candler oversaw season two of ''Queen Sugar'' as the producing director and season three as its showrunner. Candler directed two episodes of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''13 Reasons Why—''season two, episode nine "The Missing Page" and season two, episode ten "Smile, Bitches." During season three, she continued with the show as the consulting producer. Candler directed season two, episode nine of ''

Sorry for Your Loss ''Sorry for Your Loss'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama series created by Kit Steinkellner that premiered on September 18, 2018 on Facebook Watch. The series follows a young widow and her family as they struggle to cope with th ...

'', entitled "The Whale." Candler also directed two episodes of the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

show ''Home Before Dark''—season one, episode five "88 Miles an Hour" and season one, episode six "The Green Bike"< as well as season two, episode three of ''Dirty John''. The episode—entitled "Marriage Encounter"—aired June 9, 2020 on the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

. Candler is currently writing and developing a horror film for

Fox Searchlight Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...

and a TV series set in the oil refinery world of southeast Texas for

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

. Most recently, she was listed as the director of the television pilot ''

The Republic of Sarah ''The Republic of Sarah'' is an American drama television series that premiered on June 14, 2021, and concluded on September 6, 2021, on The CW. The series was created by Jeffrey Paul King and stars Stella Baker in the title role, alongside Lu ...

'' for

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, set to premiere some time in 2021. Candler is writing, executive producing and developing ''Lords of Dogtown'' for

IMDb TV Amazon Freevee (stylized as freevee and fv, also shortened as Freevee, formerly known as IMDb Freedive and IMDb TV, and sometimes spelled FV) is an American ad-supported video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service owned by Amazon, with original an ...

, a television series based on the 2005 film of the same name.

Awards

*2014 Sundance Institute Women's Initiative Fellow *2014 San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Grant, Untitled Black Metal Project *2014 deadCenter Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize, Hellion *2014 Sundance Film Festival Nomination Grand Jury Prize, Hellion *2014 SXSW Gamechanger Award Special Mention, Hellion *2014 Humanitas Prize Nomination, Hellion *2014 Dallas International Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize, Hellion *2013 Austin Film Grant, Hellion *2013 San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Grant, Hellion *2013 Best Narrative Short, deadCenter Film Festival, Black Metal *2013 Grand Jury Prize, Dallas International Film Festival, Black Metal *2012 No Borders IFP Participant, Hellion *2012 Best Short Film, Cine Chicks Film Festival, Hellion *2012 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund Recipient, Black Metal *2012 Best Live Action Short, BAMKids, Love Bug *2012 Best Live Action Short, Children's Film Festival Seattle, Love Bug *2011 IFP Emerging Narrative Participant, Nikki is a Punk Rocker *2011 Best Short, Festival Internacional de Cine Para Ninos, Love Bug *2010 2nd Place Jury Prize, Chicago's Children's Film Festival, Love Bug *2010 Best Florida Short Film, Jacksonville Film Festival, Love Bug *2010 semi-finalist, Austin Film Festival, Never Date a Teen Idol *2010 Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival, Audience Award, Love Bug *2009 Austin Film Festival Audience Award, Love Bug *2009 Official Participant in the Tribeca All Access Program, The Spider in the Bathtub *2007 Austin Chronicle Cover Story *2007 Austin Breakout Filmmaker, Austin American Statesman

Filmography

*''

'' (Director 101), The CW * ''Home Before Dark'' (Director 105 & 106), Apple TV+ * ''Dirty John'' (Director 203), USA *''

'' (Director 209), Facebook Watch *''Queen Sugar'' Season Three (Director, 312 and 313) *''Queen Sugar'' Season Three (Writer, 301, 309 and 313) *''Queen Sugar'' Season Three (Showrunner), OWN Network *''Queen Sugar'' Season Two (Director 201 and 207), OWN Network *''Queen Sugar'' Season Two (Producing Director Season 2), OWN Network *''

'' (director, two episodes, season 2),

* ''12 Monkeys'' (Director 306), SyFy *''Queen Sugar'' (Director 108 and 109), Harpo Productions *''

Bad Moms ''Bad Moms'' is a 2016 American comedy film directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Chri ...

'', (2nd Unit Director),

STX Entertainment STX Entertainment is an American independent entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth managing partner Bill McGlashan, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projec ...

*''The Rusted'', 20 minutes, (Writer, Director), Canon, Grey Agency *'' Hellion'' (2014) Feature film *''Black Metal'' (2013) – director, writer, producer *''Love Me'' (2012) – writer *''Saturday Morning Massacre'' (2012) – story by *''Hellion'' (2012) Short film – director, writer *''Love Bug'' (2009) – director, writer *''Jumping Off Bridges'' (2006) – director, writer, producer *''Pilot and Olo (TV Short)'' (2005) – director, writer *''Roberta Wells'' (2004) – director, writer *''The Absence of Wings'' (2002) – director, writer, editor *''Cicadas'' (2000) - director, writer, producer, editor

References

External links

*
Candler Productions

Interviews

Interview with Austinist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candler, Kat American film editors American women film editors Film producers from Georgia (U.S. state) American women film directors Florida State University alumni 1974 births Living people American women screenwriters Writers from Atlanta American women television directors American television directors Film directors from Georgia (U.S. state) Screenwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) American women film producers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American screenwriters Mass media people from Atlanta