Hanelle Culpepper
One of Indiewire's TV directors to know, the energetic and unflappable Hanelle Culpepper has credits ranging from superhero action adventures to thrillers to genre films to character-driven dramas. She became the first woman to launch a new Star Trek series in its 53-year history with Star Trek: Picard, earning an NAACP Image Award for her work in 2021. She was nominated again in 2022 for True Story starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes, and in 2023 for The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey starring Samuel L. Jackson. Recent work includes Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+), and Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (Amazon).
Hanelle is an alum of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, from which her short A Single Rose garnered recognition at film festivals worldwide. Her TV career took off after NBC Universal’s Directing Initiative, and her work has since spanned nearly 40 television series across a range of genres. In 2019, she earned a spot in the inaugural class of Sundance/WIF's ReFrame, and Variety’s Inclusion Impact honor.
Hanelle proudly serves on the TV Academy's Directors Peer Group Executive Committee, and as an alternate for the DGA's National Board and Western Directors Council. Hanelle is represented by Verve, manager Adesuwa McCalla at Metamorphic Entertainment, and lawyer Matthew Wallerstein of Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman.
