Professional

I am Trevor Milani. I work as an independent filmmaker and public relations specialist in New York City.

I directed my debut documentary in Hong Kong when I was 18. Days Before the Dawn screened at eight film festivals (Portland, Anthem, Black Hills) and won seven awards.

I consulted on marketing campaigns for The White Lotus, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, and Anora — winner of five Academy Awards.

Personal

My government name is Trevor Klein. I was born in Los Angeles and lived there until I was 7 — when my family moved to Irvine.

My father, Robert Klein, is from New Orleans. My great-grandfather — Oakie Klein — was a conductor for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He told my dad that the Klein family immigrated from Alsace–Lorraine, France — a province in the mountains near the German border.

“Klein” means “little” in German. By some miracle, I grew to be 6’ 5”.

My mother, Bita (بیتا) Klein, is from Tehran, Iran (تهران، ایران). My grandfather — Habib Tootoonchi (حبیب توتونچی) — worked as an engineer for the National Iran Oil Company. My grandmother — Mahin Milani (ماهین میلانی) — worked as a pharmacist.

In Farsi, “Milani” means “a person from Milan.” “Tootoonchi” means “tobacco farmer.” Milan, Iran (میلان، ایران) is a tobacco-farming town in the mountains near the Azeri border.