{{short description|American comedian (born 1980)}} {{BLP sources|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Jason Woliner | image = Jason Woliner by Gage Skidmore.jpg | caption = Woliner in July 2011 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|06|1}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = Director, writer, actor | years_active = {{hlist|1989–1996|2014}} (actor)<br>2005–present (director) | known_for = Human Giant<br>Borat Subsequent Moviefilm }} '''Jason Woliner''' (born June 1, 1980) is an American director,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Ghamdi |first=Abdullah |date=2022-12-12 |title=Borat 2's Director Has A New Peacock Show (& It's Really Weird) |url=https://screenrant.com/paul-goodman-peacock-show-from-borat-2-director/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> writer and a former child 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.<ref>[http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_455_-_jason_woliner WTF With Marc Maron Episode 455: Jason Woliner]</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Director Jason Woliner on 'Paul T. Goldman' and 'Borat' Sequel |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/02/21/1158509849/director-jason-woliner-on-paul-t-goldman-and-borat-sequel}}</ref> In 2023, Woliner directed ''Paul T. Goldman'', a hybrid documentary-comedy series for Peacock.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/borat-director-jason-woliner-lands-straight-to-series-mystery-comedy-at-peacock-seth-rogen-evan-goldberg-1235021143/|title='Borat' Sequel Director Jason Woliner Lands Straight-To-Series Mystery At Peacock; Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg Among EPs|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Peter|last=White|date=May 11, 2022|access-date=January 22, 2023}}</ref>
== Filmography ==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable" |+Films directed, written, or produced by Jason Woliner |- !scope="col"|Year !scope="col"|Title !scope="col"|Director !scope="col"|Writer !scope="col"|Producer |- |2006 |scope="row"|''Other Music'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |- |2007 |scope="row"|''An Evening with P. Oswalt'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |- |2014 |scope="row"|''Food Club'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |- |2020 |scope="row"|''Borat Subsequent Moviefilm''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=2022-05-11 |title='Borat' Director Jason Woliner Lands Mysterious Peacock Series 10 Years in the Making |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jason-woliner-peacock-1235144803/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |}
{| class="wikitable" |+Acting roles by Jason Woliner |- !scope="col"|Year !scope="col"|Title !scope="col"|Role |- |1989 |scope="row"|''Weekend at Bernie's'' | Bratty Kid |- |1990 |scope="row"|''Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift'' | Matt |- |1996 |scope="row"|''Bullet'' | Young Boy #3 - Buck Teeth |- |2014 |scope="row"|''Food Club'' | Captain Woliner |- |}
'''Special thanks''' * ''Origin Story'' (2018) * ''Mister America'' (2019)
=== Television === {| class="wikitable" |+Television work by Jason Woliner |- !scope="col"|Year !scope="col"|Title !scope="col"|Director !scope="col"|Writer !scope="col"|Producer !scope="col"|Editor !scope="col"|Notes |- |1989–1991 |scope="row"|''Shining Time Station'' |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Matt Jones; 22 episodes |- |2005–2010 |scope="row"|''Shutterbugs'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |11 episodes |- |2007–2008 |scope="row"|''Human Giant'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |14 episodes |- | rowspan="3" |2009 |scope="row"|''The Electric Company'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Episode: "Scent of a Human" |- |scope="row"|''Delocated'' |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |Episode: "Pilot" |- |scope="row"|''Raaaaaaaandy!'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |3 episodes |- |2009–2010 |scope="row"|''Parks and Recreation'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |3 episodes |- | rowspan=2| 2010 |scope="row"|''Funny or Die Presents'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |6 episodes |- |scope="row"|''Players'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |10 episodes |- | rowspan="3" |2011 |scope="row"|''Saturday Night Live'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Episode: "Ed Helms/Paul Simon" |- |scope="row"|''Jon Benjamin Has a Van'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |2 episodes |- |scope="row"|''Eagleheart'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |25 episodes<ref>{{Cite web |title=5 Lessons In Creating Comedy For TV, From Writer-Director Jason Woliner |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3042389/5-lessons-on-creating-comedy-for-tv-from-writer-director-jason-woliner}}</ref> |- | 2012 |scope="row"|''New Girl'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Episode: "Menzies" |- | rowspan="2" |2013 |scope="row"|''Good Morning Tri-State'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Television short |- |scope="row"|''Nathan for You'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |2 episodes |- | rowspan="2" |2014 |scope="row"|''Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Television short |- |scope="row"|''Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories'' |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |7 episodes |- | rowspan="3" |2015 |scope="row"|''The Jack and Triumph Show'' |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |6 episodes |- |scope="row"|''W/ Bob & David'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |4 episodes |- |scope="row"|''Master of None'' |{{no}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |10 episodes |- |2015–2018 |scope="row"|''The Last Man on Earth'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |12 episodes |- | rowspan="2" |2019 |scope="row"|''What We Do in the Shadows'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |2 episodes |- |scope="row"|''Trade Show Show'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |6 episodes |- |2023 |scope="row"|''Paul T. Goldman'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |6 episodes<ref>{{Cite web|last=ElGenaidi|first=Deena|title=Peacock Plays Coy With ''Mind-Bending'' Series From Borat Sequel Director Jason Woliner|url=https://www.primetimer.com/news/peacock-mystery-project-borat-director-jason-woliner|website=Primetimer|date=May 11, 2022|access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> |- |2024 |scope="row"|''St. Denis Medical'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Episode: "Salamat You Too" |- |2025 |''Adults'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |2 episodes |- |2025 |''The Paper'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |Episode: "Churnalism" |}
{| class="wikitable" |+TV specials by Jason Woliner |- !scope="col"|Year !scope="col"|Title !scope="col"|Director !scope="col"|Writer !scope="col"|Producer !scope="col"|Editor |- | 2009 |scope="row"|''Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |- |rowspan=2|2010 |scope="row"|''Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{yes}} |- |scope="row"|''MTV Movie & TV Awards'' |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{yes}} |{{no}} |- | 2011 |scope="row"|''Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |- |2012 |scope="row"|''Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious'' |{{yes}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |{{no}} |- |}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0938471}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090715074658/http://www.avclub.com/articles/human-giant,14097/ A.V. Club interview with Human Giant] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061013025153/http://www.thehumangiant.com/ Human Giant site]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Woliner, Jason}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century American comedians Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American screenwriters Category:American male child actors Category:American male comedians Category:American male film actors Category:American television writers Category:American male television writers Category:American television directors Category:Comedians from the Bronx Category:Film directors from New York City Category:Male actors from the Bronx Category:Screenwriters from New York (state) Category:Writers from the Bronx Category:1980 births
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