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Writer and director Jesse Cowell grew up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. As a child, when he wasn’t being read to by his novelist mother, Stephanie Cowell, or tagging along with his news photographer father chasing fires and SWAT teams, Jesse was passionate about going to the movies whenever he could. In a local newspaper interview, when asked about their children’s aspirations, his mother shared that Jesse’s brother wanted to be a race car driver, while five-year-old Jesse dreamed of making films.
Pursuing his passion, Jesse moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California’s prestigious Cinema School, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema/Television Production. During his studies, his work earned multiple Cine Eagle awards and a student Emmy.
During this period, Jesse launched his own production company, Jeskid Productions, and produced his first feature film, the irreverent comedy "Shades of Gray," which debuted entirely online in 2005. By releasing the film on the web, he cultivated a substantial fan base and won the Audience Choice award for Best Director’s Site from Movies.com. This success propelled "Shades of Gray" to the big screen, where it won Best Comedy Feature Film at the Microcinema Festival in Chicago that same year.
With strong fan support, Jeskid Productions began work on the mixed-media, Webby Award-winning series "Drawn by Pain." Since its release, the series has been featured on IFC’s Lunchbox, Media Week, iTunes, MSG Channel, Escapist Magazine, NY Comic Con, the New York Post, two national radio shows, and numerous web front pages. It has been viewed millions of times, developed a cult following, and became one of the first truly cross-platform projects launched online.
Following "Drawn by Pain," Jesse wrote, directed, and produced two seasons of the action-comedy series "Status Kill." The series has been highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Ad Age, and The Hollywood Reporter. It has amassed over 3 million views and appeared on platforms such as My Damn Channel, Gizmodo, and RedvsBlue.
Leveraging his broad creative expertise, Jesse served as Director of Content at My Damn Channel from 2010 to 2012, executive producing their entire slate of original content. He collaborated closely with filmmakers and artists on projects featuring Josh Gad, Patricia Heaton, William H. Macy, Seth Green, Fred Willard, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Adam Carolla, Steve Rannazzisi, and Judah Friedlander. His work as a creative executive has been showcased on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox Business, and others. Most recently, Jesse has optioned one of his seven screenplays and is expanding his portfolio to continue creating original, high-energy projects across film, television, and digital platforms.
