Hanelle Culpepper facts for kids

Hanelle M. Culpepper is an American television and film director. She is well-known for directing episodes of many popular TV shows. These include 90210, Parenthood, Criminal Minds, Revenge, Grimm, and Star Trek: Discovery.

Before working in television, she was a production assistant. She also directed and produced short films. Hanelle Culpepper directed thriller movies like Within (2009) and Deadly Sibling Rivalry (2011). She also directed Murder on the 13th Floor (2012) and Hunt for the Labyrinth Killer (2013).

Culpepper made history by becoming the first woman director. She was also the first African American director to start a new Star Trek series. She directed the first three episodes of Star Trek: Picard (2020). She also directed and helped produce the first episode of the new Kung Fu series (2021).

Early Life and School Days

Hanelle Culpepper grew up in Alabama. Her family loved watching movies and television together. At first, she thought she wanted to be an actor. But her parents noticed she was always directing her brothers and sisters. She would write plays and put them on for everyone.

Her father worked for a telephone company in Birmingham. He became one of the first African American leaders at the company. Her mother stayed home when Hanelle was young. Later, she worked at a bank and for the city government.

Culpepper went to Indian Springs School, a private high school near Birmingham. She graduated in 1988. In her last year, she decided to become a director. This happened after she directed her first play. It was a funny one-act play called If Men Played Cards As Women Do.

She then went to Lake Forest College in Illinois. She was very involved in theater there. She studied economics and French. She graduated with top honors. Later, she earned her master's degree from USC Annenberg School for Communication.

Directing Career Highlights

Hanelle Culpepper directed and was a co-executive producer for the first episode of the new Kung Fu series. This show is a new version of the 1970s TV show Kung Fu. The original show starred David Carradine. In the new series, Olivia Liang plays a young Chinese American woman named Nicky Chen. Culpepper said she was proud to show "an authentic and honest portrayal of a Chinese American family."

In March 2020, filming for the Kung Fu pilot had to stop. This was because of rules from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many film productions around the world also stopped. Because of this delay, the TV network The CW launched the new series later in 2021.

Awards and Recognition

In 2021, Culpepper was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. This award was for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series. She was nominated for her work on the Star Trek: Picard episode called "Remembrance."

This was her second Image Award nomination. Her first nomination was in 2015. It was for the Criminal Minds episode, "The Edge of Winter." Shemar Moore won the Image Award for Best Actor for that same episode.

Personal Life

Hanelle Culpepper met her husband, Jeffrey Meier, while she was a student. She was working as an intern at Sony. At the time, she was studying film for her master's degree.

Television Shows Directed

See also

In Spanish: Hanelle Culpepper para niños