Christian Nilsson Biography: Wife, Age, Net Worth, Career, Height, Parents, Films, Siblings

Christian Nilsson, known professionally by his own name, is a director, screenwriter, and Emmy-winning video journalist from Long Island.

He combines sharp digital media expertise with compelling narrative storytelling, most famously demonstrated by his viral short film Unsubscribe, which topped the U.S. box office in 2020 despite having a zero-dollar budget.

Profile

• Full Name: Christian Nilsson
• Stage Name: Christian Nilsson
• Born: 31, December 1987
• Age: 37 years old
• Birthplace: Long Island, New York, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Film Director, Screenwriter, Video Journalist, Creative Director
• Height: 1.96m
• Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Nilsson
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Stephanie Hains (m. 2020)
• Children: None
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $2 million

Early Life and Education

Christian Nilsson was born on December 31, 1987, in Long Island, New York.

His parents, known publicly only as Mr. and Mrs. Nilsson, provided a suburban backdrop that fueled his early interest in visual storytelling, though specifics about their professions stay private.

Siblings are not mentioned in available records.

Nilsson pursued formal training in the arts, graduating with a B.F.A. in Film/Video from Five Towns College in 2010, where he sharpened skills in production and editing that would later define his hybrid career.

He is of American ethnicity, with no public details on religious background.

Career

Christian Nilsson launched his professional path in digital media shortly after college, producing and hosting thousands of videos for outlets like BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, MTV, and The Atlantic, amassing over 200 million views through quick-hit journalism and branded content.

This foundation in fast-paced online production honed his efficiency with limited resources, leading him to narrative shorts like Excelsior, which snagged the 2017 Moët Moment Film Festival People’s Choice Award, and an Emmy-winning documentary segment on New York City’s oldest bar in the same year.

His true breakthrough arrived with Unsubscribe in 2020—a 29-minute horror short co-created with YouTuber Eric Tabach—where he masterminded a clever four-walling stunt by renting out a theater during the pandemic, generating $25,488 in sales and briefly topping the U.S. box office charts, a feat that spotlighted his guerrilla marketing prowess.

Nilsson parlayed that buzz into his feature debut, writing and directing the found-footage thriller Dashcam in 2021, which premiered at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival and drew 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for its lean, audacious tension on a shoestring budget.

Teaming again with Tabach and backed by production firms like Kamikaze Dogfight, the film showcased his knack for psychological depth in confined spaces, earning praise as a “masterclass in low-budget grit.”

He balanced this with ongoing creative direction gigs, weaving documentary elements into branded work for Esquire and Vanity Fair, while scripting ahead to broader genre explorations that fused his journalistic eye with cinematic flair.

Christian Nilsson elevated his profile with Westhampton, his second feature that premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, starring Finn Wittrock in a poignant tale of guilt and redemption set against Long Island’s affluent shadows, complete with innovative 16mm interludes that echo his roots.

His original screenplay Paparazzo landed on the 2024 Black List, signaling industry recognition for unproduced gems ripe with satirical bite.

As a Producers Guild member, Nilsson’s body of work champions indie ingenuity, inspiring filmmakers to leverage viral tactics and personal grit over studio gloss, ensuring his voice resonates in an era of fragmented distribution.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @christiannilsson

Personal Life

Christian Nilsson married Stephanie Hains on October 10, 2020, in a low-key ceremony that marked a personal anchor amid his rising career demands, with the couple settling into New York City life without public mentions of children.

He guards family details closely, occasionally nodding to his Long Island upbringing as a source of narrative fuel, but focuses interviews on craft over domesticity.

Filmography

• Unsubscribe (2020)
• Dashcam (2021)
• Westhampton (2025)
• Paparazzo (TBA)

Net Worth

Christian Nilsson holds an estimated net worth of $2 million.

His earnings largely trace to high-profile video journalism commissions from BuzzFeed and MTV, festival-circuit features like Dashcam that secured distribution deals, and creative direction roles yielding steady freelance income, bolstered by royalties from Unsubscribe’s viral syndication and emerging script sales post-Black List nod.