Hunter Whaley (born 1996) is an American writer, director, and editor based in New York City. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, Hunter started as an actor in community theater productions at the age of five. He then wrote and directed several original plays for his high school theater program before fully pursuing his lifelong passion for film. While attending New York University, his senior thesis film "By Day and Again" (2018) was awarded Achievement in Experimental Filmmaking at the First Run Film Festival. Hunter's other independent short films include "Der Platz" (2021), a Cold War spy thriller that recreates a purgatorial vision of Berlin in a Brooklyn warehouse, and "The Big Whatsit" (2024), a proof-of-concept comedy crime caper shot entirely on miniDV. In 2025, Hunter participated in the Terre di Cinema Filmmaking Program in Ortigia, Sicily.