Filmmaker, Writer, Director, Producer, Editor
Short Bio
Jesse began his filmmaking and journalism career producing, writing, directing, shooting and editing documentaries in Italy, England, the Caribbean and Central America. His subjects were often U.S. based missionary relief workers. Jesse documented the plight of Nicaraguan war refugees who fled into the remote jungles along the Costa Rican border, leaving all their possessions behind to escape the conflict. His camera followed a relief team as they distributed food, blankets and clothing to refugee families sheltering in the dense jungles along the banks the Colorado River where Costa Rica borders Nicaragua. Jesse filmed the work of U.S. doctors and dentists in ravaged post war Managua, Nicaragua as the group set up and operated free clinics providing medical and dental treatment and vital medicines to hundreds of the very poorest citizens there.
In March of 1982, as Jesse was filming the work of a U.S. missionary relief group in Guatemala City when one of their members, Efrain Rios Montt seized power after a military coup. Jesse covered the story as the newly minted dictator traveled to country’s highlands to promote his “Rifles and Beans” anti-guerrilla campaign among the Guatemalan government troops.
When the Los Angeles Riots erupted in April of 1992, the ABC National News bureau in Los Angeles hired Jesse to help with the network’s riot coverage. He worked the story alongside Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer, Ted Koppel, and national ABC news producers to provide daily coverage of the riots for ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, 20/20, and Nightline.
Jesse continued his career in national television through the mid 2000s and is credited on hundreds of national television news segments, long form documentaries, scripted entertainment shows and television specials watched by tens of millions of viewers on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, BBC, A&E, VH1, MTV, and beyond. His work has been recognized with a Primetime Breaking News Emmy® and several LA Area Emmy® nominations and awards.
Jesse is Currently Producing & Directing Two Original Documentary Films
Click the image above to watch the 4 minute preview of GET THE PICTURE?©, the documentary short film story about 10 Marin County artists who answered the call to create a mural art installation as a way to welcome refugees and immigrants with the profound, heartfelt message, “You Are Home”.
RAMON RISING© is one of the most inspiring & timely stories of human potential audiences will see. Click the image above to watch the 3 minute preview to catch a glimpse of Ramon’s nearly impossible journey from migrant child farm laborer to doctor.