Lord Danger Adds Director Christopher Werner
Los Angeles-based production company Lord Danger (recently named to Ad Age’s prestigious A-List), has added three-time Emmy-winning director Christopher Werner to its roster.
Click here to watch Werner’s work.
Werner has been directing Saturday Night Live’s Digital Shorts since 2023, working closely with fellow SNL director and Lord Danger Co-Founder Mike Diva. Prior to SNL, Werner spent more than eight seasons directing and producing segments for HBO’s Late Night With John Oliver. There, he rose to serve as Supervising Producer, directing nearly 50 full-length episodes, resulting in three Emmys, Producers Guild Awards, and three DGA nominations, before departing for SNL in 2022.
His recent Saturday Night Live work includes some of the most talked-about shorts, including the mock trailer “Plans,” starring Sabrina Carpenter; “Flamin’ Hot Preparation H,” featuring Jack Black; and the recent viral hit, “Mahaspital,” with Harry Styles.
“I’m really excited to be joining Lord Danger,” Werner says. “It’s so rare to find a company that genuinely values creative partnership, and even rarer when it lines up this well with people like Mike and the team. There’s a shared instinct around pushing comedy visually while keeping the work smart and culturally sharp, which is exactly the space I want to be working in. I'm looking forward to what we build together.”
Beyond television, Werner has also directed the horror-comedy short The Sacrifice, starring Josh Radnor and Aya Cash, which is currently screening at film festivals.
“Working with Chris at SNL, you realize pretty quickly he can kind of do anything,” Diva says. “He can jump between totally different styles and tones without losing what makes his work feel sharp or specific, and that’s actually pretty rare. He’s got real instincts, a strong point of view, and he brings a great energy to everything he does. Bringing him into Lord Danger wasn’t some overly thought-out business move; it just felt obvious. He’s exactly the kind of person I want around. Truly, anyone would be lucky to work with him, and I’m pumped to have him on board.”
Werner’s signing comes as Lord Danger celebrates its 10th anniversary and cautiously navigates a period of significant transformation in the commercial production industry writ large. Shadid noted how, in response to shifting market dynamics, the company has streamlined its approach, divesting itself of VFX sister company MDRN Logic, and doubling down on a philosophy centered on creative partnership with directors rather than traditional representation deals.
"Chris Werner is one of the more underutilized comedic directors in the commercials space, not because he isn't sought after, but because he's been busy making some of the best comedy on television for the last ten years,” Josh Shadid, Lord Danger Co-Founder/Executive Producer, says.
Shadid adds, “His ability to blend cinematic visual ambition with sharp, culturally resonant comedy makes him an explosive addition to our roster, and it's perfectly in line with Lord Danger's continued push to expand our creative consultancy services and build lasting partnerships that forge a legacy of work that's singularly unique and impossible to triple-bid. That's where we believe the future of this business is headed. We've built Lord Danger around a deliberate idea: the right directors, on the right projects, with the right people working alongside them — and adding Chris reflects that. For us, signing Chris represents exactly the kind of work and the kind of people we want to be in business with.”
Werner joins the creative studio at the exact moment that fellow director Mike Diva has been on an incredible streak of stand-out work that includes the much-publicized and Cannes-favorite, “Fruithead” for Gushers candy – a nine-minute branded content short starring Bradley Whitford, best known for “The West Wing” and “Get Out” and produced in partnership with General Mills and Imagine Entertainment, that has helped further define the company’s irreverent, bold visual style. Other examples of Lord Danger's recent creative brand partnerships with brands include their Amazon holiday “Five-Star Theater” campaign, starring actor Benedict Cumberbatch, and a creative development partnership with Fortnite, resulting in several high profile season launch projects.
”With Werner, Lord Danger continues to refine a roster and creative model built not on scale, but on selectivity,” Shadid adds. “Partnering with directors whose work reflects a distinctive point of view and a collaborative approach to creating work that truly stands apart in an increasingly commoditized marketplace.”
