Jay Russell

Best known for Directing critically acclaimed, audience pleasing fare, filmmaker Jay Russell has an impressive track record of telling compelling stories with emotional resonance. Russell got his first break at the age of 19, filming a series of commercials for the Arkansas Parks and Tourism division. Like his boss at the time, Governor Bill Clinton, Russell would go on to bigger and better things. A native of North Little Rock, Arkansas, Russell won a number of regional honors for his music while in high school and then received a full music scholarship to Memphis University. While in Memphis, Russell's passion for music was supplanted, however, by another longtime passion - namely, filmmaking. Russell continued his post grad studies at Columbia University in New York City, where he studied under the tutelage of Academy Award winning director Milos Forman. After receiving his MFA in Screenwriting and Directing, Russell was invited to attend the Sundance Institute Film Workshop. It w