HEY
Bret Tanzer is a New York, Chicago and L.A. based Production Designer with over two decades of experience in film and television. Known for an approach that is equally meticulous, organic and a bit punk rock, Bret builds transportive, richly detailed settings that bring each story to new heights. His creative journey began in his childhood garage, where he crafted miniature sets for stop-motion shorts, screen-printed band merch, and shot scrappy music videos with a crew of like-minded geeks and weirdos. His lifelong love for movies and absurdity was cultivated through countless viewings of indie Horror/Sci-fi flicks and Monty Python.
Bret studied at CalArts in Los Angeles (because Tim Burton and Paul Reubens did)—an education that included binging Michel Gondry, and Chris Cunningham videos, dollar tacos and surfing. A relentless work ethic (don’t let the tacos and surfing part fool you, he works super hard), and a little serendipity, landed him a career-defining opportunity to contribute to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy—an education in world-building he is eternally grateful for, and one he employs to this day.
In his free time, he travels with his two kids, Lola and August, exposing them to a kaleidoscope of cultures, cuisine, and the beauty of nature's ever-evolving tableau. He teaches them to be kind, to swear only when it’s hilarious, and to never litter. Bret is a proud member of the Art Directors Guild and the Production Designers Collective.
CONTACT
GERSH
FILM & TV
Tara Kromer Tel. 212.634.8157
Email: tkromer@gersh.com
COMMERCIALS & MUSIC VIDEOS
Marie Perry Tel. 310.205.5896
Email: mperry@gersh.com
DIRECT
Email: batanzer@gmail.com
RESUME
SELECTED FEATURE FILMS x TV
• HOLES (In post prod)* Dir. Jac Schaeffer / Produced by Liz Phang x Alina Mankin x Andrea Massaro x Julia Frey x Sarah Esberg x Drew Goddard, Goddard Textiles, Disney+ - Pilot
• GOOSEBUMPS: THE VANISHING Rob Letterman x Hilary Winston / Produced by Nicholas Stoller x Karl Frankenfield, Disney+ - Episodic
• THE RESORT Andy Siara x Allison Miller / Produced by Sam Esmail x Sara Matte x Chad Hamilton x Ben Sinclair, Esmail Corp, Peacock - Episodic
• PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: SUMMER SCHOOL Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa x Lindsay Calhoon Bring / Produced by Jimmy Gibbons, Chad McQuay, HBO Max - Episodic
• WEREWOLVES WITHIN Dir. Josh Ruben / Produced by Jason Altman x Margaret Boykin x Andrew Lieberman x Natalie Metzger x Matt Miller, Ubisoft, IFC - Feature (2022 *Tribeca Official Selection)
• I LOVE MY DAD Dir. James Morosini / Produced by Sean King O’Grady x Bill Stertz x Billy Mulligan, Magnolia - Feature (2022 *SXSW Grand Jury Prize)
• THE CHI (S1-S3) Lena Waithe x Common / Produced by Derek Dudley x Dana Scott x Jet Wilkinson, FOX - Episodic
• SOUNDTRACK Josh Safran / Produced by Sue Naegle x Ali Krug, Anapurna, Netflix - Episodic
• AMERICAN FABLE Anne Hamilton / Produced by Kishori Rajan, IFC Midnight - Feature (*SXSW Official Selection)
• SHRINK Tim Baltz x Ted Tremper / Produced by Chuck Martin x Evan Shapiro x Franny Baldwin, NBC - Episodic
• GONE BABY GONE Dir. Phillip Noyce / Produced by Robert Levine x Dennis Lehane, FOX - Pilot
• PATRIOT Steve Conrad / Produced by Jen Sherr x Bruce Terris x Charlie Gogolak, Amazon - Episodic (Art Director)
• SHAMELESS John Wells / Produced by John Wells x Mark Mylod, Showtime - Episodic (Art Director)
• CHIRAQ Dir. Spike Lee / Produced by John Kilik x Kevin Wilmott x Jason Sokoloff, 40 Acres, Amazon - Feature (Art Director)
• CONTAGION Dir. Steven Soderbergh / Produced by Gregory Jacobs x Jonathan King, Warner Bros. - Feature (Art Director)
COMMERCIALS
Bret has designed numerous commercials for:
TOYOTA x IAMS x AMEX x KOHLS x ZAPPOS x AMERICAN EAGLE x RIOT GAMES x NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE x NEBRASKA MEDICINE
MUSIC VIDEOS
DENZEL CURRY x IMAGINE DRAGONS x JID x BEA MILLER x PVRIS
SELECTED DIRECTORS
Ti West x Jac Schaeffer x Josh Ruben x Gillian Robespierre x Ben Sinclair x Daniel Garcia & Rania Attieh x Eduardo Sånchez x Ari Kleiman x Christian Breslauer x Fredrik Bond x James Morisini x Glue Society