Personal Information

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Biography

Jen McGowan, born in Washington DC and raised in Fairfax, VA, began her career as a filmmaker in 1997 when she received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. There, she trained as an actor at the Atlantic Theater Company where she studied with David Mamet, William H. Macy & Sam Shepard.

After graduating, Jen made the move from acting to writing and directing with her award-winning short film SHE NEVER. During this period, Jen worked her way up the production ladder with some of New York’s top companies such as RSA/Black Dog, A Band Apart, Killer Films, and Propaganda. She was fortunate to work on many independent feature films including the Oscar winning BOYS DON'T CRY.

In 2002 Jen gained a place to study directing in the MFA program at the University of Southern California. In 2004 Jen directed her first music video, "Chelsea Hotel", for artist Karen Ramos, and began production on her thesis film, CONFESSIONS OF A LATE BLOOMER. Jen was honored with a grant from The Caucus Foundation for her work on Late Bloomer as well as a scholarship from Women in Film recognizing outstanding young female filmmakers.

CONFESSIONS OF A LATE BLOOMER began its festival run at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and the Cannes Short Film Corner where it was selected for a special screening in the Palais by film critic Michel Coulombe. The film continued on to over 60 festivals worldwide, earning many awards and positive critical reviews. It was purchased for distribution by Shorts International.

This year she co-wrote and directed the award-winning commercial “Couch Therapy” for client Viesso and is preparing the festival run for her latest directing project, the short film TOUCH starring Lily Knight, a film about two women who make an unusual connection while waiting for a train.

Jen works in Los Angeles as a non-union 1st AD and production manager on commercials, which has allowed her to work alongside the industry’s top cinematographers, production designers and crews. She is also a regular contributor as the resident Independent Filmmaker to the website Film Industry Bloggers and the Founding Chair of the Caucus Foundation Alumni Network. She is currently attached to direct the independent romantic comedy HALF OF TWO at Puzzle Pictures.

Professional Website

http://www.latebloomerthemovie.com

IMDB Page

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569653/

History

Member for

2 years 48 weeks

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