Artists First Signs Thom Zimny, Veteran Documentarian Behind ‘Sly’ And ‘Willie Nelson & Family’

Matt Grobar
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off success with the acclaimed docs Sly and Willie Nelson & Family, respectively chronicling the lives and careers of Sylvester Stallone and the iconic same-name country artist, Thom Zimny has signed with Artists First. The production and management company will look for opportunities to help the filmmaker showcase his talents in the narrative feature world.

An Emmy and Grammy Award-winning director, producer and editor, Zimny co-directed Willie Nelson & Family with Oren Moverman. The project marked the first authorized doc on the life and career of Nelson, premiering at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival before debuting on Paramount+.

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Examining Stallone’s decades-long through Hollywood, the Zimny-helmed Sly debuted on the streamer after closing out TIFF last fall. Up next for the multi-hyphenate is The Beach Boys, a doc on the beloved surf rockers, co-directed with Frank Marshall for Disney+, which will be released later this year.

A regular collaborator of Bruce Springsteen’s over the last 25 years, Zimny won an Emmy for his directing of Springsteen on Broadway. He also helmed Apple TV+’s Letter to You, documenting Springsteen and the E Street Band’s recording of their album of the same name, teaming with Springsteen to direct music doc Western Stars, which premiered at TIFF and was an official selection of London’s BFI. Other Springsteen-centric projects from Zimny include his Grammy-winning Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run and HBO titles The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes, and The Ties That Bind.

In addition to music videos for Bob Dylan, The Low Anthem and others, Himney has helmed The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash and HBO two-parter Elvis: The Searcher, among further projects. Previously, he edited three seasons of the classic HBO series The Wire, serving as a consulting producer on Downloaded (VH1) and Deep Web (Epix), and as a music consultant on HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero.

Zimny continues to be represented by CAA.

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