Born in Seoul in 1989, Lee Jung-gon studied directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He directed the short films A Third Party (2014) and The Distance between Us (2016), and made his feature directorial debut with Not out (2021), which won three awards in the Korean Competition section at the Jeonju International Film Festival including the CGV Art House Award Upcoming Project Prize, Watcha’s Pick: Feature, and the Best Actor Prize. Based on the webtoon of the same name, The Deal is the first OTT series he has directed.