Marielle Heller is an American filmmaker and commercial director whose character-driven features inform a selective branded-content practice. After UCLA and RADA acting training and regional theater (Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse), she advanced through the Sundance Screenwriting and Directing Labs. Her 2015 writing-directing debut The Diary of a Teenage Girl premiered at Sundance, won Berlinale’s Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus, and took the 2016 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature before Sony Pictures Classics release. She directed Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Oscar-nominated turns by Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Tom Hanks), and Nightbitch (Amy Adams), plus episodes of Transparent and Casual. Commercial debut was the 2015 Kate Spade holiday campaign with Anna Kendrick; later spots include Nike’s Runner’s High, Crate & Barrel’s Perfect Party with Reese Witherspoon, Secret, John Lewis, and Book of the Month. Rostered at Caviar for branded content (Los Angeles), her commercials emphasize performance, lifestyle, and athletic storytelling. Based in Brooklyn.