E.L. Katz Biography: Net Worth, Age, Religion, Ethnicity, Movies, Parents, Awards, Height
Evan Louis Katz, professionally known as E.L. Katz, is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and producer born on January 7, 1981, in New York City, New York, United States.
He built his career around horror, thriller, dark comedy, and genre filmmaking, moving from music and horror journalism into screenwriting, producing, and directing.
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His major directing credits include Cheap Thrills, Small Crimes, Channel Zero, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Teacup, and Azrael.
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Evan Louis Katz |
| Stage Name: | E.L. Katz |
| Born: | January 7, 1981 (age 45 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Jewish American |
| Religion: | Judaism |
| Parents: | Mr. and Mrs. Katz |
| Siblings: | Peter Katz |
| Occupation: | Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer |
| Net Worth: | $2 million |
Early Life and Education
E.L. Katz was born on January 7, 1981, and is 45 years old, in New York City, New York, United States.
During his childhood, his family moved to San Diego, California, where he spent part of his formative years.
His early interests eventually moved toward music journalism, hip-hop, punk, metal, and horror cinema.
E.L. Katz was raised by his Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Katz. His ethnicity is Jewish American.
Katz has publicly discussed his Jewish background, referring to himself as a “bad Jew” during a discussion of the religious themes in Azrael.
His comments also indicate a personal, philosophical approach to religious ideas rather than a strongly doctrinal public identity.
E.L. Katz grew up alongside his brother Peter Katz, who also entered the film business as a producer.
The brothers collaborated on several early independent horror projects, including Home Sick, Pop Skull, and Mortuary. E.L. Katz has a Jewish religious background.
His later comments about religion, particularly during interviews surrounding Azrael, show that religious imagery and questions of belief have also influenced his creative interests.
Before concentrating fully on filmmaking, E.L. Katz developed a strong interest in music journalism.
He wrote about hip-hop, punk, metal, and genre cinema for various websites, including Creature Corner and other early online publications.
His enthusiasm for extreme international horror eventually redirected his ambitions toward filmmaking.
E.L. Katz attended Full Sail Film School in Orlando, Florida, where he became close friends and creative collaborators Adam Wingard and other filmmakers from the emerging independent genre scene.
Katz and Wingard shared an interest in Asian extreme cinema, Japanese horror, Danish crime films, and unconventional genre movies.
Katz later continued his screenwriting education at UCLA, where he completed the university’s professional screenwriting program. In 2011, he sold his screenplay Zombie Pet Shop to The Animation Picture Company for development as an animated feature.
Career
E.L. Katz entered the entertainment industry as a music and horror journalist, writing about underground music and genre cinema before moving into professional screenwriting.
His friendship and creative partnership with Adam Wingard led to early independent productions such as Home Sick and Pop Skull, where Katz worked as a writer and producer.
He also contributed to projects such as Autopsy and Mortuary, establishing himself inside the independent horror community.
His breakthrough as a director came from Cheap Thrills, his first feature as a director. The film premiered at SXSW in 2013, where it received the Midnighter Audience Award.
The success generated a competitive distribution bidding process, leading to a deal involving Drafthouse Films and Snoot Entertainment.
Katz‘s approach combined black comedy, psychological pressure, violence, greed, and escalating moral dilemmas.
Katz followed that success by directing the “A Is for Amateur” segment of ABCs of Death 2 and later directing Small Crimes, a crime thriller released by Netflix in 2017.
He also expanded into television, directing episodes of Scream, Channel Zero, Swamp Thing, and The Haunting of Bly Manor, while taking producer and writing responsibilities on projects such as Hap and Leonard.
His television career continued into the 2020s, including work on Teacup, where he directed episodes and served as an executive producer.
His directing style remained strongly connected to horror and suspense, while his television work gave him opportunities to operate inside larger productions and serialized storytelling.
In 2024, E.L. Katz returned to feature filmmaking as director of Azrael, an action-horror film starring Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
The film premiered at SXSW and later received theatrical and streaming distribution from IFC Films and Shudder.
Katz described the production as an unusually demanding outdoor shoot in Estonia, involving extensive work in cold, rugged conditions and a deliberately dialogue-free storytelling style.
Awards and Nominations
- SXSW Film Festival — Midnighter Audience Award — Winner — Cheap Thrills
Social Media
- Instagram Handle: @e.l.katz
Personal Life
E.L. Katz is 45 years old and he is single, and currently divorced. He was previously married to Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved, and public biographical records place their marriage from May 15, 2011, until 2017.
Kongsved later became the partner of actor Elijah Wood, while Katz has maintained a comparatively private personal profile.
There are no reliable public details establishing E.L. Katz‘s current romantic partner. His public interviews tend to focus on filmmaking, cinema, genre influences, and the creative process rather than his private relationships.
There are no reliable public details confirming that E.L. Katz has children. Public information surrounding his former marriage does not establish any children belonging to Katz, so no child is named in the Profile.
E.L. Katz has lived and worked in several important American filmmaking centers, including San Diego, Orlando, Los Angeles, and New York.
His professional life became particularly connected to Los Angeles, where he developed screenwriting relationships, worked on genre projects, and built his directing career.
His strongest personal interests revolve around cinema and music. As a younger man, Katz immersed himself in hip-hop, punk, metal, and underground music, initially approaching those subjects as a journalist.
His interest in music remained part of his cultural identity even after filmmaking became his primary occupation.
Horror cinema is another major personal interest. Katz has discussed discovering the genre at approximately 12 years old, when he attended a punk concert alongside his father and saw footage from Dawn of the Dead playing behind the band. The combination of aggressive music and graphic horror left a strong impression on him and helped shape his later creative direction.
Katz also has an interest in motorcycles, although his relationship to them is complicated by his father’s past motorcycle accident.
He discussed the subject during an interview, explaining that riding seemed exciting to him despite the warnings he received from his father.
Net Worth
E.L. Katz has a net worth of $2 million, primarily connected to his long career as a director, screenwriter, producer, and television filmmaker.
His principal income stream comes from film directing, particularly projects such as Cheap Thrills, Small Crimes, and Azrael. Feature directing provides income from production contracts, distribution arrangements, and associated professional work.
Another source of income has been television directing and producing. Katz has directed episodes of Scream, Channel Zero, Swamp Thing, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Teacup, while also taking producer responsibilities on selected productions.
Filmography
- Cheap Thrills
- Small Crimes
- ABCs of Death 2
- The Haunting of Bly Manor
- Azrael
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