Trent O’Donnell

"Colin from Accounts is a high point; they’re quite delightful" The Guardian

Trent O’Donnell is one of Australia’s most successful television directors and showrunners who has recently returned to Australia after living and working in the US for more than a decade.

Trent lead directs smash hit COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS created by Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer and received a 2023 AACTA Award nomination for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy for this work.

Trent set-up and Executive Produced the Jungle/Lionsgate/ Stan series POPULATION 11 starring Ben Feldman. In the US Trent set-up, Executive Produced and directed more than 15 episodes of CBS hit remake of GHOSTS and he also directed Season 2 finale of the Emmy Award winning series HACKS starring Jean Smart.

Trent created, wrote and directed the television series NO ACTIVITY for Stan in Australia and subsequently developed and directed it for CBS All Access. The Australian series was nominated for 5 AACTA awards and three Logies winning Best Performance in a Comedy Series for Patrick Brammall in 2016.

Trent directed the feature film RIDE THE EAGLE, which he also co-wrote with Jake Johnson. It stars Jake Johnson, Susan Sarandon, D’Arcy Carden and JK Simmons.

Trent directed episodic series including A.P BIO, SINGLE PARENTS, THE GOOD PLACE, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, GRACE AND FRANKIE and GRANDFATHERED. Trent was a Director and Executive Producer on NEW GIRL season 4, 5 and 6 for Fox TV in Los Angeles.

Trent directed the first series of THE LETDOWN which aired on ABC1 in Australia and was Netflix Originals globally. The series won three AACTA awards including Best Television Screenplay, Best Comedy Program and Best Performance in a Comedy Program.

Trent created, wrote and directed comedy series including SQUINTERS, THE ELEGANT GENTLEMANS GUIDE TO KNIFEFIGHTING, THE MOODYS and REVIEW WITH MYLES BARLOW for ABC 1 in Australia.

THE MOODYS was nominated for AWGIE Best Comedy Script and AACTA Best Television Comedy Series, Best Screenplay in Television and Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. A MOODY CHRISTMAS won an AWGIE in 2013 for Best Narrative Comedy Script. A remake pilot screenplay was commissioned by CBS Studios in 2013.

REVIEW WITH MYLES BARLOW won four AFI awards and an AWG award for Best Comedy screenplay and was nominated for Outstanding Comedy at the Logies. Format rights sold for remakes in the US, UK and the Netherlands. The remake REVIEW aired on the Comedy Channel in the US for three seasons from 2014 – 2017 starring Andy Daly.

Trent’s earlier directing credits include four-part series PROBLEMS, starring comedian Sam Simmons, WOODLEY, LAID and KITCHEN CABINET starring journalist Annabel Crabb and Australian politicians, all for ABC 1. His short films, TINY LITTLE PIECES and RAW PRAWN, were Tropfest Finalists in 2002 and 2000 respectively.