Jyllian Gunther

Gunther has directed and produced a range of documentary projects, including serving as director and co-executive producer for the HBO series Swiping America and an untitled pilot for Condé Nast and Amazon. She was also a co-executive producer, director, and writer for multiple episodes of the NBC series Who Do You Think You Are, featuring celebrities such as Allison Janney, Nick Offerman, and Billy Porter. Her work on the History/A&E documentary Black Patriots: Heroes of the American Revolution, featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, earned a Christopher Award. In 2026, she co-directed and produced alongside Stephanie Schwam, Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, for HBO Documentary Films. As a producer, she contributed to ABC’s seven-part docuseries The Last Defense, executive-produced by Viola Davis. She also directed, produced, and wrote six short films for The New Yorker Presents, a series by JigSaw, Amazon, and The New Yorker magazine. Her first documentary, Pull Out, produced by Wren Arthur, received a national Emmy Award, and her second feature documentary, The New Public, aired on PBS and is distributed by Kino Lorber, accompanied by an educational curriculum developed by Teachers College at Columbia University.

Gunther served as a reporter and co-producer for NPR's This American Life. She received a national Emmy Award for writing and directing a series of public service announcements for PBS. She began her television career as a staff writer for Nickelodeon and later worked as a freelance writer and producer for promotional content. She also served as a producer and director on various docuseries for networks including Discovery Channel, TLC, MTV, AMC, IFC, and We TV.

• Title — Role — Notes • Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story — co-director/co-producer — feature HBO documentary • Sunset and the Mockingbird — director/producer/writer — short documentary film • The New Public — director/producer/camera — feature film • Pull Out — director/producer/writer — feature film • The New Yorker Presents — director/writer/producer — series • Who Do You Think You Are — director/supervising producer — series • Made — director/producer — series • Love High — director/producer — series pilot • THINKPORT.ORG — co-director/writer — series • This American Life — reporter — series