Brian Dannelly was born in Wurtzburg, Germany, where he spent his early years donning Lederhosen, skiing, and climbing hills adorned with cheese and sausage, while also creating elaborate puppet shows with puppets designed in collaboration with his grandmother. At the age of 11, his family relocated to a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, where he endured Catholic elementary school, a Jewish summer camp, and a Baptist high school.
After surviving this eclectic educational experience, Dannelly pursued his Bachelor's degree at a combination of institutions, including The Maryland Institute of Art (Fine Arts),The American University (Communications),Morgan State University (International Studies),and the University of Maryland Baltimore County (Visual Arts),graduating Magna Cum Laude in Visual Arts.
He then became a directing fellow at the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI),where he graduated from the directing program in 1999. His short films have been showcased at festivals worldwide. During his time at the AFI, Dannelly met his writing partner, Michael Urban, with whom he co-wrote the film Saved.
Saved was produced by Sandy Stern and Michael Stipe of Single Cell Pictures and starred Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Eva Amurri, Heather Matarazzo, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker. The film premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by MGM/UA, marking Dannelly's debut feature film.
Dannelly and Urban are currently working on several projects together, having completed Runner Up, their second project to be produced by Single Cell, with Dannelly set to direct. They are represented by agent Joel Milner at Larchmont Literary and attorney Karl Austen at Armstrong Hirsch Jackoway Tyerman & Werthheimer.
