Todd Phillips

Todd Phillips started his career as a documentary filmmaker. His first film, Hated (1994) portrayed the revolting antics of extreme punk rocker G.G. Allin. It was released in the summer of 1994 and went on to become the highest grossing student film of its time. He followed that up with Frat House (1998), a documentary that he produced and directed for HBO’s popular America Undercover series. Frat House premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for documentary features. The unflinching exposé of life in fraternities created a public controversy that eventually caused the film to be shelved by HBO. After meeting producer Ivan Reitman at Sundance, Phillips made his crossover to features with Road Trip (2000), which established him as a new force in comedy. He simultaneously produced and directed Bittersweet Motel (2000), a documentary on musical cult phenomenon Phish. He directed Old School (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004) and School For Scoundrels (2006). Phillips was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Borat (2006). In 2009, he directed The Hangover.