BIO

Nathan W. Bailey is a Los Angeles-based Art Director and Set Designer for film, television, toys, and trade shows. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, by a father who was a fine arts painter and a mother who was a photographer and film programmer, Nathan grew up around the arts. Through museum outings, film screenings, building model cars and drawing, Nathan had an artistically rich childhood.

Nathan’s formal art education began in middle school at the Waldorf School of Baltimore where the arts are integrated across the curriculum. For high school, Nathan studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts in the Theater Design and Production Program. It was there that he discovered his love and ability for narrative design. In 2007 Nathan received a BA in Film and a Minor in Political Communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, while also taking architecture courses at the Boston Architectural College to further his technical design skills. Before working on his master's degree, Nathan studied briefly at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the Continuing Education Program to better his visual arts skills. Nathan then earned his MFA in Production Design from AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles, California, in 2010. His thesis film, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, premiered at the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival and continues to stir up controversy nationwide for its artistically brave subject matter.

In 2015, Nathan was accepted into the Art Directors Guild, as an Assistant Art Director, through a portfolio review. Since gaining membership to the ADG, Nathan has worked on various notable projects including Art Directing the music video for Beyoncé's Hold Up from the Emmy nominated visual album, Lemonade. He Assistant Art Directed the sixth season of American Horror Story, the pilot episodes for CBS’s, S.W.A.T., Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and the premier episode for season 9 of Hawaii Five-0 on location in Honolulu. Other notable projects include season 2 of Westworld and the Amazon feature film, Bliss. In 2018, Nathan then earned his Set Designer's card with the ADG on the Apple TV+ show, The Morning Show. After Assistant Art Directing on HBO’s, Perry Mason, and the ADG Award winning, Loki, Nathan was promoted to an Art Director position on Peacock’s, Mrs. Davis, and FOX’s, Lone Star 9-1-1, in 2022. Most recently, he was a Set Designer on the Academy Award nominated Netflix film, Rustin, the box office hit, Bullet Train, and the final season of NBC’s, Magnum PI.

Nathan also has a passion for teaching the art and craft of narrative design to aspiring student filmmakers and designers. He has been a guest speaker and presenter at the University of Arizona and all three of his alma maters - the Baltimore School for the Arts, Emerson College, and AFI Conservatory. He has assistant lectured at the Art Center College of Design and taught Art Direction and 3D Studio courses, including SketchUp and Vectorworks CAD programs, at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). Nathan's commitment to teaching extends beyond his lectures and seminars, often accepting student interns into his Art Department and helping graduating students make industry contacts.

Nathan is currently a CAD Draftsman Set Designer at Mattel Toy Company in El Segundo, California, living his childhood dream of playing with toys for a living. In his free time you’ll find him on the golf course, watching a baseball or football game, or collecting and studying the history and design of sneakers.