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Nora Kirkpatrick joins Spindle
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Kirkpatrick is a creative polymath, who’s work as a writer-director-actor-Grammy-winning-musician always leaves the audience with something they’ve never seen before.
Nora Kirkpatrick grew up in rural Iowa. After graduating from UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television, she went against her parents’ advice and started a band, which turned out to be a pretty good move. The band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, went on to have a platinum-selling record and won a Grammy.
While touring the world for seven years, between shows Kirkpatrick took the time to hone her writing skills. Upon leaving the band in 2014, she hit the ground running, quickly selling several TV shows and embarking on her career as a writer, director and actor.
Kirkpatrick radiates enthusiasm and is meticulous about every detail of directing. She loves hard hitting character comedy shrouded in intricate production design. Bright colours. Bold patterning. Something unusual just outside of our everyday world. Her commercial career debuted with a Bud Light Seltzer campaign created by Wieden + Kennedy, giving her the distinction of being the first woman to direct for the brand. Other notable credits include films for brands such as Duracell, Rakuten and Uber One.
Collaborations with Will Ferrell, Olivia Wilde, and SNL alum, Mike O’Brien, spawned several comedic series that Nora has written and/or directed. These include Assisted Living (CBS), Best Seller (Comedy Central), and the TV series The Coop, in association with Funny Or Die. She was recently a writer on Amazon's Emmy and Golden Globe nominated hit series, Daisy Jones and The Six, produced by Reese Witherspoon and starring Riley Keough.
Kirkpatrick’s short film Long Time Listener, First Time Caller garnered Best Female Director at the Prague International Film Festival, and her debut feature A Tree Fell In the Woods is set to premier at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
Across all of her film work, she’s a master of comic shading and tone, elevating absolute absurdity with sublimely surreal choreography and bold world building. And if all of that’s not enough, additionally as an actor she has played many roles in TV and film, including Esther, Dwight’s girlfriend, in the U.S. version of The Office.
Emily Jordan-Wilson (Spindle Partner / Director of New Business): “We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Nora Kirkpatrick to the Spindle roster. Nora is a rare creative force, her work is smart, striking, and full of personality. Whether she’s crafting bold, visually rich worlds or bringing sharp character comedy to life, she brings a meticulous and magnetic energy to everything she touches. From her standout commercial work to her collaborations with icons like Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, Nora’s trajectory has been nothing short of inspiring. We can’t wait to support her next chapter and help her vision reach even wider audiences, and honestly, how many people get to say they work with a Grammy-winning director?”
