James Gunn is the co-CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios and the prolific filmmaker behind some of today’s most notable pop culture hits including Superman, The Suicide Squad, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Peacemaker, Slither, and Creature Commandos.

As a keynote speaker, Gunn shares captivating stories from his career, rife with deeply human lessons on life, personal development, leadership, storytelling, and creativity. With tongue-in-cheek humor and star-studded anecdotes, Gunn is a hit at comic cons and fandom events due to his extensive work with Marvel and DC Studios. For professional creatives, corporate, and university audiences, Gunn’s adventures in filmmaking become a microcosm for humanity and self reflection, offering widely applicable takeaways for business and everyday life. Audiences leave inspired, entertained, and motivated to become the best version of themselves.

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James Gunn makes movies and television shows that people love. From his earliest B-movie work on Tromeo and Juliet to blockbuster hits like Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy, he has a way of telling stories that entertain, resonate, and stick with viewers long after the credits roll.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Gunn began his career at the age of twelve by making a zombie movie with an eight-millimeter camera and an actor, his brother Sean. Gunn got his start in the industry while attending Columbia University, working as a screenwriter for Troma Entertainment. He then went on to write the cult favorites The Specials, Scooby-Doo, Dawn of the Dead, Scooby-Doo 2, Slither, and Super.

Gunn became the first screenwriter in history to write back-to-back #1 weekend box office hits with Dawn of the Dead and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Slither, his directorial debut, is one of Rotten Tomatoes’ “Top Ten All–Time Best Reviewed Horror Films” and earned Gunn a Saturn Award and a Fangoria Chainsaw Award. His film Super was an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival, was picked up by IFC Films, and is IFC’s top selling film ever on On-Demand.

Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, which he wrote and directed, earned a combined 2.4 billion dollars at the global box office. The franchise garnered impressive reviews from film critics around the world, and the first film, Guardians of the Galaxy, won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Action Movie and was nominated for three Academy Awards, two Grammys, two BAFTAs, seven MTV Movie Awards and two People’s Choice Awards, amongst many others. The music of these movies, with every song hand-selected by Gunn, has been praised by critics as a secondary character that functions as the film’s emotional core. The soundtracks, Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Awesome Mix Vol. 2, breathed new life into ‘60s and ‘70s pop hits and reached certified Platinum and Gold status, respectively.

More recently, Gunn wrote, directed, and produced HBO Max’s Emmy-nominated original series Peacemaker and the feature film Superman. Superman garnered over $600 million at the global box office and has received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, celebrating the story of humanity and kindness in a world that has forgotten to value such important traits. The next story in the Superman saga is Man of Tomorrow, with an expected release in July 2027.

James Gunn’s career success is a testament to a simple but profound truth: hard work, consistency, and authenticity beget excellence.