Ryan Coogler

Coogler directed a few short films at the USC School of Cinematic Arts before his feature-length debut with Fruitvale Station (2013). He then transitioned to directing and writing franchise films, including the Rocky series spinoff Creed (2015), as well as the Marvel films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). Coogler also produced the historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and the supernatural horror film Sinners (2025), which he also wrote and directed. He received  Academy Award nominations for Best Picture for both films, while for Sinners he was also nominated for Best Director and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

In 2013, he was included on Time's list of the 30 people under 30 who are changing the world. In 2016, he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. In 2018, Coogler was named the runner-up for Time's Person of the Year, and he was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. In 2021, Coogler, his wife Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian founded the multimedia production company Proximity Media.