Oliver Zenglein was born in Munich. After theatre internships, various internships and jobs in the film industry, he worked as an assistant director for film and television from 1992. A serious industrial accident in 1996 tied him to a hospital bed for a year. During this time he founded Crew United with Vincent Lutz. In 2001 he quit his work as a filmmaker to dedicate himself exclusively to Crew United. He lives with his wife and daughter in Munich.