Merchant Welcomes Director Quinn Katherman

​Merchant has welcomed acclaimed director Quinn Katherman to its roster for representation in Canada.

Quinn was born at a very young age in Richmond, Virginia.

As a director and writer, she’s known for crafting unforgettable performances, razor-sharp dialogue, and rich, engaging visuals. Her work is bold, boundary-pushing, and packed with pointed human truths.

Before directing, Quinn spent 15 years in advertising making award-winning work you probably fast-forwarded through. She stumbled into the industry after writing greeting cards and dumping her rejected jokes on Twitter. Eventually, some reckless optimist hired her based on her Twitter feed to be a junior copywriter on a national account, which led to her being named to Adweek’s Creative 100 and Business Insider’s Rising Stars list – an amusing turn of events considering it all started with 150-character fart jokes.

Quinn brings a rare mix of strategic thinking, visual storytelling, and comedic precision to everything she does. From short-form to the Super Bowl, she always finds the best version of a project – even in the most challenging circumstances.

Quinn lives for great performances, airtight edits, and the fleeting high of making people laugh. And also for her children, who believe she exists to hold their trash.

​Click here to view her current reel.​

Q> What appealed to you about joining Merchant?

Quinn> Merchant is full of smart people who don't take themselves too seriously and like making great work. That's my ideal combo. I felt an instant connection with Ian and Farrah, and not just because they laughed at my jokes, but because they have a vision for the future that embraces every possibility of storytelling.

Q> Can you give us a brief rundown of your career so far?

Quinn> I got here by failing at a lot of other things first. I started out as a creative in advertising, where I learned how to tell a story in under thirty seconds. Eventually, I moved into directing, working on commercials, branded content, and lately exploring more narrative projects. It’s been a winding path, but my obnoxious obsession with telling familiar stories in new ways has always been the through line.

Q> Do you have any particular career highlights that you’d like to share?

Quinn> Working on the NYX Duck Plump Super Bowl campaign with Cardi B was definitely a highlight. We pushed all the boundaries to make something fun, satirical and female-forward in a space that historically only caters to men. It was challenging at times but a fight I’d fight again in a heartbeat.

Q> What are you most looking forward to achieving with Merchant?

Quinn> I’m excited to collaborate with people who care as much about craft as they do big ideas. I’d love to push into more storytelling that balances comedy and humanity. And also make Canadians laugh because I don’t think there’s a greater achievement than being funny to people who are notoriously the funniest.

Q> What does the next year look like for you? Any exciting projects in the works we can tease?

Quinn> Got a lot of commercials and some narrative opportunities cooking but nothing specific to share. I do have a full body mole screening coming up that I’m particularly thrilled about but I have to keep the details under wraps until the results are official.

Q> Anything else you’d like to add?

Quinn> Just that I’m genuinely thrilled to be joining Merchant, working more in Canada and potentially being adopted by a nice Canadian family who will think of me as the daughter they never wanted but have anyway.

Ian Webb, EP and co-founder of Merchant, shared his excitement about the new signing, "Quinn is a breath of fresh air. Her work is outrageously hilarious, and she is somehow even funnier in real life. We are all big fans of her smart, sharp wit and look forward to her taking the Canadian commercial world by storm.”

Merchant’s roster is built around a director-first philosophy, and Quinn’s addition reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to championing bold, distinctive voices in commercial filmmaking.

For more information on Quinn Katherman or Merchant, please contact: Ian Webb, executive producer, Merchant.

In the United States, Quinn is represented by ArtClass.