Biografia
A graduate of NYU's TISCH School of the Arts with a BFA in Film and Acting, Jake has acted alongside Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Judd Hirsch, and collaborated with renowned directors such as Julie Taymor, James Tripp, and Viveca Lindfors.
He made his directing debut Off Broadway at Theater for the New City with the premiere of his play Valhalla, featuring Rockets Redglare and Michele Matheson. His work was showcased at the Soho Arts Festival, highlighting New York's most vibrant emerging talents. There, he was invited to direct a staged reading of his first screenplay, "Riding with Death." Inspired by the life of legendary painter Jean Michel Basquiat, the production was produced by Judy Jacksina and four-time Tony Award winner Thommie Walsh, starring Paul Hipp, Sebastian Roche, Tatianna Abbey, James Tripp, and pop star and actor Eagle Eye Cherry as Basquiat.
Soon after, Jake relocated to Los Angeles to premiere his second play, "Mine Games," an epic surreal war drama, and to complete his first film, "Le Corset," a dark exploration of Edwardian sexual mores featuring music by Philip Glass.
In 2003, he finished his first feature film, the provocative and controversial "Looking Through Lillian," starring Sam Bottoms and Jade Henham.
The breakthrough film earned numerous festival awards, including the Grand Prize for Drama at Houston, where Sam Bottoms also won the Maverick Actor Award for his daring portrayal of Gene. During its Art House theatrical run, "Looking Through Lillian" received glowing reviews from critics like Chris Gore and Kevin Thomas of the L.A. Times, who described it as "Illuminating, Elegant and Sophisticated."
In his free time, Jake produces Fashionland, a popular fashion fanzine focused on New York nightlife. He has been honored with the Play Stream Directors Award.
Jake's mother is a celebrated New York hip hop and nightlife photographer and designer. His father was an O.S.S. agent who parachuted into Auschwitz during WWII. Returning a war hero, he studied painting under Kuniyoshi at the Art Students League and became a master of mystery.
