Jonathan Kesselman launched his career with the 2003 film "The Hebrew Hammer", which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received international acclaim. The film was later distributed theatrically and aired on Comedy Central for five years, earning it a spot among the top holiday movies by several major publications.
Kesselman's second feature film, "Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero", premiered at the 2014 Austin Film Festival, where it won both the Comedy Vanguard and Audience Awards. The film was later released theatrically worldwide and ran for five months across the US.
In addition to his work as a director and writer, Kesselman has also written and directed second unit for Oscar-winning director Ang Lee on the film "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk". He was also the showrunner for the fact-based sketch comedy series "Gander", which starred a range of comedians and actors.
As a screenwriter, Kesselman has worked with a range of clients, including Fox, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Disney, Sony, and WWE. He has also worked as a commercial director for clients such as Google, Harley-Davidson, Nintendo, and Canon.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kesselman received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, graduating Magna Cum Laude in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience. He later received his Master's degree in Film Production from the University of Southern California School of Cinema/Television in 2001.
