About

Jennifer Jessum is an award-winning director, choreographer, writer, producer, cinematographer, and creative consultant. Jennifer holds a Master of Fine Arts degree, in Film Production, from USC School of Cinematic Arts, and a Master of Fine Arts degree, in Dance, from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She brings her fine arts aesthetic, musical training, and long history in the professional dance and theater worlds to narrative and documentary forms, commercials, music videos, Dance-for-the-Camera, PSAs, live events, theater, and full creative campaigns. Her physical training extends far beyond the dance world into the fields of Somatics, Advanced Neuromuscular Therapies, and Feldenkrais. Her visceral and dynamic shooting style, which she refers to as Kinema, is a synthesis of dance, somatics, and film.

Her two award-winning feature documentaries, HOLY MAN: THE USA vs. DOUGLAS WHITE narrated by Martin Sheen, and Finding God in the City of Angels, have both received critical acclaim. Her short narrative dance film, Red Earth Calling, won numerous awards and her short film ANIMA is finishing up it's festival run where it has screened in over 33 international festivals and has been honored with 13 awards. She recently wrapped production on a series she directed for the Power Rangers franchise and is in post-production on a short documentary Before We Were Horsemen and a short narrative film Takoja. My Grandfather's Altar, a book project she produced, is launching in spring.

Her film and choreographic work has been presented throughout the United States and abroad. Commissions include: the Ford Foundation with Claremont Graduate University, the Guibord Center: Religion Inside Out, Claremont Lincoln University, Housing Works, the Sri Sathya Sai Alumni Association, the national television commercial In The Spirit of Women, The Off Broadway musical It Must Be Love, City University of New York Queens College Dance Department, The Company at Beverly Hills High School, Between the Bones Dance Company, and the Manchester Dance Festival. She was a founding member of the Off Center Dance Collective and has performed with choreographers across the country including:  Elizabeth Streb, Bebe Miller, Robert Battle, Hannah Khan, Stacey McKenzie, Maureen Breeze and Maedée Duprès. Teaching credits include: Princeton University, New York University, City University of New York Queens College, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

In addition to her creative work, Jennifer is the founder and director of The Mitakuye Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting and empowering Native youth through arts education and opportunities. www.mitakuyefoundation.com