Justin Tipping is an American writer and director of Filipino (Ilocano, Visayan) and Scandinavian (Swedish, Danish) descent, raised in the multicultural community of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tipping’s work blends lyrical realism with bold, genre-bending storytelling set in culturally grounded worlds. Known for his uncompromising aesthetic and emotional precision, he explores masculinity, violence, and identity through intimate portraits of marginalized characters.
Most recently, Tipping’s sophomore feature film, HIM — produced by Jordan Peele for Universal Pictures and Monkeypaw Productions — premiered globally. Co-written and directed by Tipping from a Black List screenplay by Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie, the film stars Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans, and Julia Fox, with supporting performances from Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, and Tierra Whack. HIM is a surreal psychological horror set in the world of professional football, exposing the commodification of athletes and the sacrifices they make in pursuit of greatness. With HIM, Tipping brings arthouse aesthetics to a studio canvas, immersing viewers in the protagonist’s unraveling psyche and crafting a multilayered allegory told through symbolism and tone.
Tipping’s feature debut, Kicks (Focus Features), premiered to critical acclaim and established him as a singular new voice in American cinema. He has since built a reputation as a sought-after filmmaker across genres in both film and television, producing and directing pilots for series including Joe vs. Carole (Peacock), Flatbush Misdemeanors (Showtime), and Lena Waithe’s Twenties (BET). His work on Showtime’s Black Monday, starring Don Cheadle and Regina Hall, earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series. He has directed over twenty episodes of television, including The Chi, Dear White People, and Dare Me.
As a screenwriter, Tipping has developed projects with FX, Showtime, UCP, TriStar, Columbia Pictures, Universal, and Paramount. His talent was recognized early when his short film NANI won the Student Academy Award while he was earning his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory.
He currently resides in Los Angeles.
UTA
Film / Emerson Davis + Jason Burns
Television / Marissa Devins + Abby Glusker
Untitled Entertainment
Ben Rowe + Matt Rosen
Commercial / SOMESUCH.CO