| John Wilson | |
| Birth Name: | John Michael Wilson |
| Birth Date: | 7 October 1986 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Binghamton University |
| Active: | 2008–present |
John Michael Wilson (born October 7, 1986) is an American documentary filmmaker. He is the creator and director of How To with John Wilson, a comedy-docuseries on HBO.[1] [2] [3]
Wilson was born in Astoria, Queens, and grew up on Long Island. He became interested in film as a teenager when his father gave him a movie camera. Wilson cites Les Blank, George Kuchar, and Bruce Brown as influences.
Shortly after graduating from high school, Wilson completed a feature film called Jingle Berry.[4] He added the reference to Jingle Berry to his own Wikipedia page in season 2, episode 4 of How To with John Wilson.[5]
While attending Binghamton University, Wilson made a short documentary, Looner, about a balloon fetish community. At Binghamton, Wilson joined an a cappella singing group, the Binghamton Crosbys.[6]
In 2008, after graduating from college, Wilson worked for a private investigator. He has said this experience influenced his focus on the people and places of everyday life.
In 2015, Wilson was asked to go on tour with David Byrne to make an original film about his performance.[7] Titled Temporary Color,[8] the film has been called a "true crime concert doc about David Byrne and a pair of violent criminals". The next year, Vimeo asked Wilson to make a documentary about the Sundance Film Festival. These works caught the attention of comedian and writer Nathan Fielder, and the two started collaborating after meeting in 2018.
In October 2020, Wilson's comedy docuseries How To with John Wilson premiered on HBO.[2] The series' second season premiered in November 2021,[9] and its third and final season premiered in July 2023.[10] The show is executive produced by Fielder, Michael Koman and Clark Reinking.[11] In the show, Wilson attempts to give advice while dealing with his own personal issues. The 25-minute episodes, framed as tutorials and filmed mainly on the streets of New York City, cover topics from small talk to scaffolding. Each episode is narrated in a second-person perspective, and features numerous shots edited together from hours of B-roll.[12]