Werner Traut is a freelance writer/director and commercial cinematographer based in New England. 

In 2022, Werner produced his first feature film, Eradication, which was released as a Tubi Original and has enjoyed critical and commercial success with the film twice being featured in the New York Times as a top streaming Horror and top streaming Science Fiction select. His screenplay, Glimmer, was a semifinalist in the 2024 ScreenCraft Short Film Screenplay Competition. Werner wrote and directed Cold Trail, a horror/thriller short film that debuted at International Film Festival Boston in 2025. Recently, his cinematography work on the Boston Celtics, NBA Championship Anthem "Because of You" was awarded an Emmy. 

Werner's passion for filmmaking was shaped early on by the visionary storytelling of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg while he grew up in Cape Town, South Africa prior to immigrating to the United States.

Werner holds a B.S. in Business Administration & Marketing from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia University. His combined expertise allows him to navigate both the creative and financial aspects of filmmaking.