Hern has produced six feature films and recently co-created and co-directed his first drama series, The Panthers.

After starting out as an actor, Hern broke onto the international scene as a producer with his production The Dark Horse; a gritty-based-on-a-true-story-drama, directed by his friend, James Napier Robertson, which launched at TIFF to glowing reviews and sales to all major territories. The film eventually garnered Oscar-buzz around Cliff Curtis's transformative performance in the film. TDH won a number of awards at top tier film festivals (including Audience Award-wins at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and the San Francisco, Seattle and Palm Springs Film Festivals) and was a Box Office smash in its home territory.

Later Hern produced the high-octane action-comedy, Guns Akimbo (starring Samara Weaving and Daniel Radcliffe) which launched at the TIFF in 2019 and Shadow in the Cloud (staring Chloë Grace Moretz and directed by Roseanne Liang); the madly-gripping action-horror which won the TIFF 2020 Midnight Madness Award.

Hern sat on the International Jury for the Berlin International Film Festival (Generation Section in 2015 and won the pitching prize at the MIFF 37 Degrees South market in Melbourne in 2016. He also won the Moa-award for "Best Film" at the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards for The Dark Horse.

Hern is a principal of two companies; Four Knights Film, alongside writer/director, James Napier Robertson and Tavake, alongside writer/producer, Halaifonua Finau.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, James Napier Robertson began as an actor in theatre and television before writing and directing a number of short films in his early twenties, followed by his debut feature film, I’m Not Harry Jenson, starring Ian Mune, Ilona Rodgers and Marshall Napier. Garnering critical acclaim for his direction of performance, mood and dialogue, I’m Not Harry Jenson was released theatrically in New Zealand in 2009 and nominated for Best Picture at the 2009 New Zealand Film Awards, The Dominion Post calling it “The first New Zealand-made thriller in years that’s actually worthy of the name.”

Napier Robertson’s fascination with dysfunctional, outsider characters and social disorientation underpinned the dramatic tension of the film, a theme he continued to explore in his next film, The Dark Horse, starring Cliff Curtis and James Rolleston, based on the true life story of bipolar chess player Genesis Potini. A long-time chess player himself, Napier Robertson played hundreds of games with Genesis while studying his struggles with mental illness and working on the script.

Opening the 2014 New Zealand International Film Festival before premiering at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, The Dark Horse was a commercial and critical hit, receiving 5 star reviews from all major critics and grossing over $2 million at the New Zealand Box Office. The Australian called it “outstanding…a work of the highest artistic excellence”, Variety stated it “exceptional…the most deserving cinematic export to emerge from New Zealand in years”, and the National Radio Review declared it “one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made”. Napier Robertson won New Filmmaker of the Year at the 2014 SPADA Awards and Best Screenplay at the 2014 New Zealand Writers Guild Awards, and The Dark Horse went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Score at the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards.
In 2015, The Dark Horse was released theatrically worldwide and continued winning awards internationally, including winning Best Film at Rotterdam International Film Festival 2015, Seattle International Film Festival 2015, San Francisco International Film Festival 2015, Washington DC International Film Festival 2015, Dublin International Film Festival 2015, Asia Pacific Film Awards, Art Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival 2015. In 2016 it was released theatrically in the U.S. by Broad Green Pictures (presented by James Cameron), and in late 2016 was formally screened at the White House for then-President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Napier Robertson is currently writing and directing on Australian mini-series Rompter Stomper (Roadshow Productions), New Zealand mini-series The Panthers (Four Knights Film), and feature films The Seventh Symphony and The Ballerina (both produced by Anonymous Content).

He is represented by ANONYMOUS CONTENT in Los Angeles.