Jesse Dykstra

Writer-director Jesse Dykstra obtained his B.A. in Cinema from Azusa Pacific University, where he was mentored by filmmaker Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange, The Black Phone). He continued his studies at the American Film Institute's prestigious Directing Program. Dykstra's short film titled Christopher Brennan Saves the World screened at 30-plus film festivals, garnering six awards, his feature screenplay titled High School Newspaper Wars was named both finalist and runner-up in the Scriptapalooza screenwriting contest, his feature screenplay titled The Stranger Inside the Gates was named preliminary finalist in the Creative World Awards. He has worked for Paramount Pictures, Final Draft, Studio 8, MTV Films, Artisan Entertainment, ICM Partners, Movieline Magazine, SAG-AFTRA and Bento Box Entertainment. He continues to develop several projects for film, television and new media, and serves as a judge for the Scriptapalooza screenwriting contest.