Danielle von Zerneck has spent the past decade producing critically acclaimed films and series across a wide range of genres, from teen drama and true crime to satire and holiday romance, earning numerous awards and nominations, including recognition from the Writers and Directors Guild of Canada, the Leo Awards, the Canadian Screen Awards, and GLAAD.
Danielle has made a name for herself innovating Christmas movies. Her LGBTQ-oriented holiday romantic comedies for Lifetime, The Christmas Set-Up (Lifetime's first Christmas film centered on a same-sex romance) and Under the Christmas Tree, were nominated for Best TV Movie at the 2021 and 2022 GLAAD Awards, respectively.
Danielle has also brought star-studded casts of comedians to the world of holiday. In 2021, she partnered with SNL alums Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer to produce the Christmas movie send-up, A ClĂŒsterfĂŒnke Christmas, for Comedy Central, which was heralded as "needlessly silly and entertaining from start to finish." She is working with Gasteyer and Dratch on a sequel and a musical adaptation. That same year, her Audible Original The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure, starring Alan Cumming, Milo Manheim, and Stephen Root, with Ryan Reynolds as Santa Claus, earned a spot on Audible's "Best of the Year" list.
Danielle has also worked in the branded entertainment space, helping The XO Group (formerly The Knot) develop their IP into a feature film for 20th Century Fox, unscripted series for Freeform and A&E, and a talk show for Fox with partners 44 Blue Productions and Jennifer Garner.
Previously, Danielleâs passion for teen-focused projects, including the acclaimed series, Recovery Road, starring Jessica Sula and Hayley Lu Richardson for Freeform, have been ratings hits and given her the opportunity to tackle relevant and hot button issues, from substance issues and mental and physical abuse in high school relationships to revenge-porn scandals.
Danielle learned her patience, relationship skills, and the power of craft services after 10,000 hours on sets both as a young actress (Donna in La Bamba and teen runaway, Lou, on General Hospital) and as the proud daughter of notable, ridiculously prolific and famously all-around good guy, TV movie producer Frank von Zerneck.
Acceptable Risk(2001)as Gloria
Holiday in Your Heart(1997)as Photographer
Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare(1995)as Linda
Living in Oblivion(1995)as Wanda
Beyond Suspicion(1993)
A Husband to Die For: The Lisa Aguilar Story(2025)
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story(2025)
Friday Night Sext Scandal(2024)
Designing Christmas(2022)
Under the Christmas Tree(2021)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On(2021)
In Our Own Oblivion: The Miracle of Making a Film(2015)as Self
