Billy Rainey

A film school graduate from Boston University, Rainey has become one of the most sought-out directors in his field by reviving the tired hidden-camera format and bringing a new perspective to comedy through the eyes of ‘real’ people in 'real' situations. With his show “Punk’d” he made Justin Timberlake cry, convinced Drake he was in an earthquake, and made Taylor Swift believe that she blew up a boat. As a commercial director, Billy put his unique set of skills to work, filming campaigns and creating experiential work for clients including Burger King, Vitamin Water, Exxon, Barclays, Buick and the NCAA. Furthermore, Billy delivers award-winning content, such as 60 hours of Clio Award-winning programming for Netflix's 'Breaking Bad,' and innovative interactive experiences like a 3-day live-action video game for Old Spice on Twitch. He continues to show run for major television networks, including Tru, Discovery, MTV and Comedy Central, working in both long and short forms, from traditional advertising to new media content.

Before “reality TV” (aka “alternative” television) even had a name, Billy was there on the ground floor of a revolution. He directed the first ‘reality’ television show, The Real World, and after helming several seasons, parlayed his talents into producing and directing his own shows, including MTV’s Making the Video, which spawned a multitude of spin-offs and gave him the opportunity to work with some of the world’s most recognized A-list talent including Beyonce, Janet Jackson, No Doubt and N’Sync, among others.

— RealScreen Summit