Filmmaker Toolkit (IndieWire)

"The Chair Company" Director Andrew DeYoung

In this episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast, director Andrew DeYoung discusses his work on Tim Robinson’s HBO series The Chair Company, highlighting how budget constraints sparked visual creativity, from crafting intense internet‑rabbit‑hole sequences to making suburban Ohio feel both ordinary and unsettling. He explains the collaborative dynamic with creators Tim Robinson and Zach Baron, noting how their shared shorthand and love of classic thriller aesthetics (e.g., Hitchcock, Alan Pakula) inform the show’s tone and visual language. DeYoung also contrasts the resource‑limited world of The Chair Company with the higher‑budget production of Widow’s Bay, revealing the challenges and freedoms each environment offers. Finally, he shares behind‑the‑scenes details about specific set pieces, such as the pilot’s pipe‑hand scene and inventive camera work that turns mundane office moments into suspenseful set‑pieces.