Gary McKendry is an Academy Award nominated director and screenwriter. Born and raised in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, McKendry graduated from Saint Martin's School of Art in London with a degree in design and illustration. He worked as an armored car guard by day and a storyboard artist by night, before moving to Australia where he transitioned into advertising. Offered a position as an Art Director with Chiat Day, he headed to New York, where he later worked for Ogilvy and Mather and Margeotes, Fertitta & Partners. McKendry soon branched out on his own, directing award winning spots for clients including Porsche, Ikea, Heineken, Nasdaq and Budweiser. He co-wrote the screenplay for Everything in This Country Must with National Book Award winner Colum McCann. The dark family drama was shot on location in Northern Ireland. McKendry was nominated for an Oscar for the film. For his follow up feature, he directed and co-wrote the 1980s themed action thriller, Killer Elite, starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Yvonne Strahovski and Robert De Niro. He again teamed up with McCann to write his latest film As If There Were Trees, and shot the film in Belfast. When not busy shooting commercials and writing screenplays from his barn in upstate New York, McKendry is a guest lecturer at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
