Jack Sholder, a multi-talented individual, was born in Philadelphia, where he initially pursued a classical trumpet playing career, performing under renowned conductors Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy while still in high school.
After a brief stint studying chemical engineering, Sholder attended the University of Edinburgh and L'Université de Besançon, eventually graduating from Antioch College with a degree in English literature.
Sholder's entry into the film industry was as a film editor, working on the feature documentary King: From Montgomery to Memphis, which received an Academy Award nomination. He later won an Emmy for his editing work on the popular children's television show 3-2-1 Contact.
Before transitioning to feature film directing, Sholder wrote and directed several award-winning short films, showcasing his versatility and talent.
Sholder's breakthrough feature film was Alone In The Dark, followed by the horror classic Where Are The Children, starring Jill Clayburgh, and the successful Nightmare On Elm Street II.
His next feature, The Hidden, received widespread critical acclaim, including the Grand Prix at the Avoriaz Film Festival, and was later recognized by Premiere Magazine as "one of the ten most underrated films of the '80s."
In 2004, Sholder founded the Film & Television Production program at Western Carolina University, where he served as Professor and Director of the FTP program until 2017, sharing his expertise and passion for filmmaking with a new generation of artists.
