Christopher J. Byrne has been a member of the Directors Guild of Canada for twenty five years, a member of the American Federation of Musicians as a composer for 20 years, a member of the Directors Guild of America for 6 years and a carpenter all his life.  He holds an Honor’s degree in History from York University where he studied to become a high school teacher.   He began his career  with the DGC as a Trainee Assistant Director with Norman Jewison’s The REZ  in northern Ontario.  Within five years he had worked his way through the Canadian film industry becoming First Assistant Director on the Disney / Alliance Atlantis feature Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Luxembourg- 1999.

 

       In 2000, Christopher added commercial production to his roster of work and for the next 14 years he enjoyed the variety of challenges that came with combining long format work experience with the high intensity, visually inspired world of commercials.  With a passion for travel and adventure, Byrne worked around the globe as a First Assistant Director, Director, producer  and aerial co-ordinator.   He gravitated toward complex jobs that employed the single Director/ Cameramen model.  Here Christopher was able to influence (and learn from) those projects from a unique vantage point.   Highlights include government contracts with the Department of National Defense, provincial tourism and car industry ads.  Working in Canada and abroad. Christopher enjoyed  technical  assignments for some of the largest corporations on the planet : Volkswagon, General Motors, Ford, Microsoft, Mars, Bombardier & Facebook to name a few.  These experiences contributed to Christopher’s outstanding ability to run efficient productions and work closely with departments (and clients) to find creative ways to collaborate and communicate ideas in the boardroom, on set or between units in different countries.  

 

    Christopher became a Director in with TENDRIL animation and Design in 2012.     He returned to the world of Television production in 2013 as the 2nd Unit Director on Season two of NBC’s celebrated thriller, HANNIBAL, where he was introduced to Showrunner Bryan Fuller.  Through close collaboration with Fuller, Byrne became instrumental in evolving the show’s signature poetic look.    His 8 years experience as a butchers’ apprentice in his home town growing up served him well on this project.  Hannibal was the start of his career as a visual Director, recognized widely for his innovative concept creation, and execution.   Christopher enjoys exploring opportunities in the use of additional photography units on shows to efficiently increase productivity and elevate the quality of the material.    

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    Byrne’s full time Second Unit Director credits include three seasons of Hannibal, four seasons of 12 Monkeys, the Star Trek Discovery Pilot, Season one and two of AMERICAN GODS and the upcoming HBO series "THE LAST OF US".   A look at his contributions to these shows easily demonstrates his unique skillset.   In 2017 Christopher was made Producing Director and Executive Producer for AMERICAN GODS season two.   Today, his directing credits  include multiple episodes of STAR TREK DISCOVERY,12 MONKEYS, AMERICAN GODS, JUPITERS LEGACY, CLARICE & STRANGE NEW WORLDS.

 

      Christopher is represented by Ryan Tracey at Creative Arts Agency.  He lives in Toronto with with his wife and two daughters and is currently learning to play the pedal steel guitar.