Rhys Thomas (director)
Welsh director and producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhys Thomas (born 18 September 1979) is a Welsh director and producer best known for his work on Saturday Night Live for NBC, in which he served as Film Unit producer and director of shorts and music, winning an Emmy Award in 2015, and the series Documentary Now! for IFC.[2][3]
Rhys Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Morgan Rhys Thomas[1] 18 September 1979 Cowbridge, Wales |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Dublin |
| Occupations | Director, Producer, Writer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Career
Rhys Thomas became the Saturday Night Live Film Unit producer in 2005 and in 2010 began directing shorts, music videos and commercial parodies for the show. He also directed and produced the SNL opening credit sequence in 2012–2018 and the opening credits for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, which he also produced and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special in 2015. In 2015 he made his feature film debut with the film Staten Island Summer[4][5] written by Colin Jost.[6] That year he also directed John Mulaney’s Emmy nominated stand up special The Comeback Kid for Netflix.[7]
Thomas is also a co-creator and director of the Emmy nominated IFC series, Documentary Now!.[8][9] In 2016, he also produced the Adele Live in New York City concert special for NBC, for which he earned his fourth Prime Time Emmy nomination. He also produced and directed the opening credits for the talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers.[10] In 2017, he produced and directed all six episodes of the Amazon Prime show Comrade Detective[11] starring Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He teamed with Bill Hader again in 2018 for Pringles' first ever Super Bowl commercial.[12]
In 2021, Thomas served as an executive producer and director of episodes one, two, and six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Hawkeye.[13]
Filmography
Film
- Staten Island Summer (2015)
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2016 | Saturday Night Live | Yes | Yes | SNL shorts |
| 2012–present | Saturday Night Live Opening Credits | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Newsreaders | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Comeback Kid | Yes | No | |
| Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | Segment | Yes | ||
| Adele Live in New York City | Yes | Yes | Opening Sequence | |
| 2015–2022 | Documentary Now! | Yes | Executive | Also creator |
| 2016–present | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Yes | No | Opening Titles |
| 2017 | Comrade Detective | Yes | Executive | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Yes | No | |
| Kansas City | Yes | Executive | Pilot | |
| 2019 | John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch | Yes | No | |
| 2021 | Chad | Yes | Executive | Pilot |
| Hawkeye | Yes | Executive | 3 episodes | |
| 2026 | The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins | Yes | No | Pilot |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Documentary Now! | Nominated | [14] |