Justin Tipping is a writer-director from Berkeley, California, whose work blends lyrical realism with bold, genre-bending storytelling. Known for his uncompromising aesthetic and emotional precision, Tipping explores masculinity, violence, and systemic injustice through intimate character studies carved into stark, meticulously composed visual worlds.
Tipping’s most recent feature film HIM (Universal Pictures) was released in September of 2025. His 2016 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. Additional credits include The Chi, Dear White People, Run the World, and Dare Me.
As a writer, 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. Prior to that, he graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a BA in Film and Media Studies. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara 
