Born & raised in Los Angeles to Korean immigrants, Danny Lee is an Emmy award-winning director, writer, and producer who grew up a culture fanatic. A thoughtful filmmaker known for sharp storytelling and an innovative style, Lee helmed the critically-acclaimed Who is Stan Smith? which was released theatrically nationwide across 65+ markets. In 2004, Lee made his debut with Rock Fresh, an intimate documentary about graffiti artists making the leap to commercial art. Variety singled it out as one of the films to watch at AFI Fest, while making its broadcast premiere on Showtime.
Currently, Lee is working on Ghosts of Chinatown, a scripted coming-of-age crime drama on China Mac’s turbulent upbringing in the violent underworld of Chinese street gangs in 90s New York City; 26.2, a visceral sports drama about the San Quentin Marathon; a feature doc on Avril Lavigne; and more. Previously in scripted, Lee directed the Lionsgate feature Public Disturbance with Mike Tyson and Bobby Lee; and created, wrote and directed The Clinic on Hulu. Previously in doc, Lee directed the critically acclaimed series The Express Way led by renowned actor Dule Hill exploring the transformative power of the arts for PBS; 30 for 30: Friedman’s Shoes; Defining Moments for Hulu; electronic music series After The Raves for Red Bull and Netflix; and Road To Brooklyn about the Nets move to Brooklyn, executive produced by Jay Z.
Lee has also directed and produced numerous commercial campaigns for Nike, Keurig, Red Bull, Nissan, Head & Shoulders, adidas, Intel, Gatorade, McDonald’s, American Express, Jaguar and more. For Nike, The Story of Air Max and The Story of Dunk legacy campaigns broke viewership records for the company. For Nissan, his branded series With Dad won the Best Branded Series at the Cynopsis Awards. For Red Bull, his doc Skate or Die on high-risk Native American skater kids on the reservation is now part of the Smithsonian Institute. Lee was also the winner of the Korean Film Council Filmmakers Lab for his feature film script Winter War. Lee and his work have also been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, The Guardian, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Wrap, ABC News, The Daily Beast, Salon, and GQ.