Jason Woliner (born June 1, 1980) is an American director, writer and actor. He is best known for being in the sketch comedy show Human Giant, as a non-performing member who instead worked behind the scenes as director. Woliner won a Golden Globe award for directing Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Early life and education Woliner attended Pelham Memorial High School and for higher study at Sarah Lawrence College from 1998 to 2000 before dropping out to pursue a directing career.WTF With Marc Maron Episode 455: Jason Woliner His first acting credit was at age nine, appearing in Weekend at Bernie's.
Career After leaving school, Woliner began making films and videos, both on his own and with comedians in New York, which led to the formation of Human Giant. The first three Human Giant videos ("Shutterbugs", "Illusionators", and the "Shittiest Mixtape Boombox Blast") caught the eyes of executives at MTV, who offered the group a pilot. The show ran for two seasons.
He was the non-performing member of the comedy group Human Giant and directed the bulk of their output. After that, he directed, co-wrote, and acted as showrunner on the cult Adult Swim series Eagleheart starring Chris Elliott. Woliner has directed episodes of Fox's The Last Man on Earth, NBC's Parks and Recreation, and Comedy Central's Nathan for You and Jon Benjamin Has a Van, among others. In 2020, he directed Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
He has collaborated with writer-performer Brett Gelman on a series of horror/comedy specials for Adult Swim. The first of these, titled Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends, aired in April 2014, and the second special, titled Dinner with Family with Brett Gelman and Brett Gelman's Family, aired in February 2015. The third special, Brett Gelman's Dinner in America, aired in July 2016. Woliner and Gelman wrote the specials together; Gelman stars and Woliner directed.
In 2020, he directed the comedy film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture with Sacha Baron Cohen. In 2023, Woliner directed Paul T. Goldman, a hybrid documentary-comedy series for Peacock.
Filmography
Film +Films directed, written, or produced by Jason WolinerYearTitleDirectorWriterProducer2006Other Music2007An Evening with P. Oswalt2014Food Club2020Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
+Acting roles by Jason WolinerYearTitleRole1989Weekend at Bernie's Bratty Kid1990Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift Matt1996Bullet Buck Teeth2014Food Club Captain Woliner2026 Primetime 800lord_12
Special thanks Origin Story (2018) Mister America (2019)
Television +Television work by Jason WolinerYearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditorNotes1989–1991Shining Time StationMatt Jones; 22 episodes2005–2010Shutterbugs11 episodes2007–2008Human Giant14 episodes2009The Electric CompanyEpisode: "Scent of a Human"DelocatedEpisode: "Pilot"Raaaaaaaandy!3 episodes2009–2010Parks and Recreation3 episodes 2010Funny or Die Presents6 episodesPlayers10 episodes2011Saturday Night LiveEpisode: "Ed Helms/Paul Simon"Jon Benjamin Has a Van2 episodesEagleheart25 episodes 2012New GirlEpisode: "Menzies"2013Good Morning Tri-StateTelevision shortNathan for You2 episodes2014Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and FriendsTelevision shortTim & Eric's Bedtime Stories7 episodes2015The Jack and Triumph Show6 episodesW/ Bob & David4 episodesMaster of None10 episodes2015–2018The Last Man on Earth12 episodes2019What We Do in the Shadows2 episodesTrade Show Show6 episodes2023Paul T. Goldman6 episodes2024St. Denis MedicalEpisode: "Salamat You Too"2025Adults2 episodes2025The PaperEpisode: "Churnalism"
+TV specials by Jason WolinerYearTitleDirectorWriterProducerEditor 2009Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong2010Intimate Moments for a Sensual EveningMTV Movie & TV Awards 2011Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour2012Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious
References
External links
A.V. Club interview with Human Giant Human Giant site