The Duffer Brothers

Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are both American film and television writers, directors, and producers. Best known as the creators, directors, and executive producers of the Netflix science fiction horror drama series Stranger Things, they also wrote and directed the 2015 psychological horror film Hidden and wrote and produced episodes for the Fox mystery-science fiction series Wayward Pines.

Matt and Ross Duffer
Matt (left) and Ross (right) Duffer at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1984-02-15) February 15, 1984 (age 40) Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Chapman University (BFA)
Occupations	Film and television writers directors producers
Years active	2005–present
Known for	Stranger Things Hidden Wayward Pines
Spouse	Leigh Janiak ​ ​ (m. 2015; sep. 2024)​ (Ross)

They established their own production company Upside Down Pictures, which is in an overall deal with Netflix.^[1] They are identical twin brothers and have had a close relationship since childhood. They work on all their projects as a pair.^[2]

Career

After the brothers had written and directed several short films, their script for the post-apocalyptic horror film Hidden was acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2011.^[3] The brothers would go on to direct Hidden, which was released in 2015. Next the Duffer brothers were hired as writers/producers for the Fox television series Wayward Pines. As of 2024, they are also the executive producers of a Netflix show called The Boroughs, described as a supernatural drama set in a retirement community in the New Mexico desert.^[4]

Stranger Things

With experience in television, they began pitching their idea for television series adaptation of the same name, which Dan Cohen eventually brought to Shawn Levy. Backed by Levy's 21 Laps production company, the show was quickly picked up by Netflix.^[5][6] The show is set in 1980s Indiana and is an homage to 1980s pop culture,^[7] inspired and aesthetically informed by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, David Lynch, Stephen King, and George Lucas, among others.^[8][9]

It was released on July 15, 2016, to overwhelming praise,^[10] specifically for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s genre films. It began to develop a cult following online.^[11] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the series an approval rating of 95%, based on 82 reviews, with a weighted average score of 7.96/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Exciting, heartbreaking, and sometimes scary, Stranger Things acts as an addictive homage to Spielberg films and vintage 1980s television."^[12]

On September 30, 2019, Netflix announced they had signed the Duffers for additional films and television shows over the coming years.^[13]

In March 2021, the duo announced they will team up with Spielberg to adapt Stephen King's and Peter Straub's The Talisman as a Netflix series. They will both be executive producers via Amblin Partners and Monkey Massacre and have hired Curtis Gwinn, who worked as a writer-executive producer on Stranger Things, to act as writer and showrunner of the project.^[14]

Following the premiere of the fourth season of Stranger Things in July 2022, the Duffers launched the production company Upside Down Pictures, for which they recommitted to Netflix with several new projects. Among these include a live-action series adaptation of Death Note and a series adaptation of The Talisman, in addition to their follow-up series to Stranger Things.^[15]

In October 2023, Ross Duffer was one of many working in the film and television industry that signed the open letter to President Joe Biden thanking him for his "unshakeable moral conviction" in supporting Israel with military funding and aid and petitioning the President to secure the release of more Israeli hostages.^[16][17]

Personal lives

The Duffer Brothers were born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, the sons of Ann M. Christensen, a part-time real estate broker,^[18] and Allen P. Duffer Jr., a film buff and Research Triangle Institute^[19] Project Director.^[20] They began making films in the third grade, using a Hi8 video camera that was a gift from their parents.^[21][22] They attended the Duke School for Children^[22] from grades K-8, a private suburban school, and then the Charles E. Jordan High School, a large Durham public school. They were accepted at the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts, but were not willing to be educated separately.^[23] They toured New York University Tisch School of the Arts Department of Cinema Studies and USC School of Cinematic Arts but were not accepted, but someone they met introduced them to someone,^[23] who suggested Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts for film study and they relocated to Orange, California, where they graduated in 2007.^[5][24] Matt has one child; Winona Ryder is the godmother.^[25]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Directors	Writers	Producers	Notes
2005	We All Fall Down	Yes	Yes	No	Short films
2007	Eater	Yes	Yes	Yes
2009	Abraham's Boys	No	Yes	Yes
	Road to Moloch[21]	No	Yes	No
2012	Vessel	No	Yes	No
2015	Hidden	Yes	Yes	No	Debut feature film Completed in 2012, received limited release in 2015[26]

Other film credits

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
2006	The Big Toe	Editors	Short films
2008	The Milkman	Actors: Officer (Matt Duffer); Drive-by thug (Ross Duffer)
	Saturday Night at Norm's	Producers
2014	Honeymoon	Special thanks
2021	Fear Street Part One: 1994
	Fear Street Part Two: 1978
	Fear Street Part Three: 1666
2024	Dust Monster		Animated short film

Television

Year	Title	Directors	Writers	Executive Producers	Creators	Notes
2015–2016	Wayward Pines	No	Yes	Co-Executive	No	Wrote 4 episodes
2016–	Stranger Things	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Directed 19 episodes; wrote 16 episodes

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2016	American Film Institute Award	Top 10 TV Programs of the Year	Stranger Things	Won	[27]
	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Drama Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[28] [29]
		Most Bingeworthy Show	Stranger Things	Nominated
2017	American Film Institute Award	Top 10 TV Programs of the Year	Stranger Things	Won	[30]
	Bram Stoker Award	Best Screenplay	Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"	Nominated	[31]
			Stranger Things for "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down"	Nominated
		Superior Achievement in a Screenplay	Stranger Things for "Chapter One: MADMAX"	Nominated	[32]
	British Academy Television Award	Best International Programme	Stranger Things	Nominated	[33]
	Directors Guild of America Award	Outstanding Directing – Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"	Nominated	[34]
	Dorian Award	TV Drama of the Year	Stranger Things	Nominated	[35]
	Dragon Award	Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series	Stranger Things	Won	[36]
	Empire Award	Best TV Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[37]
	Fangoria Chainsaw Award	Best TV Series	Stranger Things	Won	[38]
	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series – Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[39]
	Hugo Award	Best Dramatic Presentation	Stranger Things for the first season	Nominated	[40]
	MTV Movie & TV Award	Best Show	Stranger Things	Won	[41]
	National Television Award	Best Period Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[42]
	NME Award	Best TV Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[43]
	People's Choice Award	Favorite TV Show	Stranger Things	Nominated	[44]
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"	Nominated	[45]
		Outstanding Drama Series	Stranger Things	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"	Nominated
	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama	Stranger Things	Won	[46]
	Satellite Award	Best Television Series – Genre	Stranger Things	Nominated	[47]
	Saturn Award	Best New Media Television Series	Stranger Things	Won[lower-alpha 1]	[48] [49]
	Shorty Award	Best TV Show	Stranger Things	Nominated	[50]
	TCA Award	Outstanding Achievement in Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[51]
		Outstanding New Program	Stranger Things	Nominated
		Program of the Year	Stranger Things	Nominated
	Teen Choice Award	Choice Breakout Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[52]
		Choice Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series	Stranger Things	Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Award	Television: Dramatic Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[53]
		Television: New Series	Stranger Things	Nominated
2018	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Drama Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[54]
	Directors Guild of America Award	Outstanding Directing – Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate"	Nominated	[55]
	Empire Award	Best TV Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[56]
	Golden Globe Award	Best Television Series – Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[57]
	MTV Movie & TV Award	Best Show	Stranger Things	Won	[58]
	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Favorite TV Show	Stranger Things	Won	[59]
	NME Award	Best TV Series	Stranger Things	Won	[60]
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate"	Nominated	[61]
		Outstanding Drama Series	Stranger Things	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series	Stranger Things for "Chapter Nine: The Gate"	Nominated
	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[62]
	Satellite Award	Best Television Series – Genre	Stranger Things	Nominated	[63]
	Saturn Award	Best New Media Television Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[64]
	Teen Choice Award	Choice Fantasy/Sci-Fi Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[65]
	Writers Guild of America Award	Television: Dramatic Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[66]
2019	Grammy Award	Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media	Stranger Things	Nominated	[67]
	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	Favorite TV Drama	Stranger Things	Nominated	[68]
	People's Choice Awards	Bingeworthy Show of 2019	Stranger Things	Nominated	[69]
		Drama Show of 2019	Stranger Things	Won
		Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2019	Stranger Things	Nominated
		Show of 2019	Stranger Things	Won
	Saturn Award	Best Streaming Horror & Thriller Series	Stranger Things	Won	[70]
	Teen Choice Award	Choice Summer TV Show	Stranger Things	Won	[71]
2020	Satellite Award	Best Genre Series	Stranger Things	Won	[72]
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series	Stranger Things	Nominated	[73]

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Notes

1. Tied with Marvel's Luke Cage

External links

• Matt Duffer at IMDb
• Ross Duffer at IMDb