Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Schluntz.
Hi Jesse, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up, my dad was always shooting super 8 film of our family. My brothers and I eventually picked up the camera and started making short films, mostly involving crime, action, fights, and other testosterone-laden guy stuff. Dad eventually upgraded to a video camera, and my fixation continued.
By the time I was in high school, surf videos (on VHS) were all the rage. I loved surfing, and wanted to make friends at school, so I put 2 and 2 together and started videoing my classmates surfing for the school TV show. Occasionally I’d connect with local pros like Rob Machado for a shoot, and videoed local professionals on the sidelines of contests. I scraped enough money together to take my first trip to the North Shore of Oahu, where I captured the best surfers in the world during one of the best weeks of swell in years. In 1995, I hid myself behind a sound curtain in San Dieguito High School audio/video room when they closed up for the night, then pulled a grueling all-nighter in the editing room to finish my first surf movie, Western Promise. It premiered at my high school cafeteria. Tickets were $1.
In the late 90s, I delivered pizzas by night and shot surfing by day. Under the influence of my very funny (and very weird) friends like Chris Cote, I created a series of surf/horror/comedy films called The TearDevils Trilogy. The films did well, and won a couple of comedy awards courtesy of Surfer Magazine. I need to emphasize here that those films, which people still ask me about today, would never have been made if my friends and I had lived in a world where we all had smart phones. The late 90s were a time when you had to make your own fun, and get creative. I feel like we’ve lost that to a huge degree.
In 1999, I underwent a massive life change. A struggle with suicidal depression led me to commit my life to Jesus, which brought me a brand new perspective and purpose. Three years later, I partnered with the Walking On Water Foundation to create a surf film called The Outsiders, featuring Christian professional surfers who wanted their story to be about something bigger than themselves. The film toured all over the world and was seen by countless people.
Over the next decade, I worked on projects for various non profits, and found my calling in documentary filmmaking. At first I mostly told surf-centric stories that were in my orbit. In 2010, I was asked to travel to Uganda to co-direct a documentary called Moving On. It tells the story of an American family who partnered with a group of Ugandan war widows to create a business in the USA. The profits from that business both told the widows’ stories, and helped them provide for their families.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve been fortunate eto work on many rewarding projects, including a feature documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict called Hope in the Holy Land. This year I partnered with the same producers to create October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre, about the Hamas attacks in Israel in October of 2023.
Today I still live in Encinitas, and am raising two sons. I love surfing as much today as I did in the beginning, and am currently exploring new ways to use my filmmaking skills to provide for my family.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have a quote on my wall, and I’m not sure who said it, but it reads: “Limitations encourage creativity.”
I feel like that’s been my life story for many years now.
The hardest thing about being a filmmaker who does meaningful work is finding a way to make enough money doing it. Thankfully my reputation has kept me mostly busy over the course of my career, but the dry spells are killers, and can cause you to doubt whether or not you should continue. I can’t say I’ve done a stellar job on the financial planning side of things, and the way things are in Encinitas today, it’s very hard to keep the ship afloat at times. So the financial limitations I face have definitely taught me how to get creative!
The other thing I’ll say is that you have to have grit as a documentary filmmaker. It’s very much about problem solving. When things go wrong, that’s when the adventure tends to begin. Werner Herzog’s “20 rules of filmmaking” encapsulate this pretty well (although I don’t agree with his “taking revenge” advice, ha…).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m known for my reliability and communication, and at times being a pain in the butt. My years of experience have taught me a healthy balance of the science and art of storytelling.
Making a documentary is a big responsibility that is often manipulated in order to convey a specific agenda. I’m a man of conviction who strives to not allow my agenda to overshadow the truth of the film I’m making. Objectivity is key. A director cannot fully remove his agenda from his work, but I do my best.
My favorite compliment from a client is typically, “I just cried.” That’s often when I know I’ve done my job well.
The most rewarding part of my job is messages from people who say how deeply my work has affected them personally. The two films I’ve done about Israel have resulted in many moments like these.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People who follow me on social media assume I’m financially successful. “Look at this surfer/filmmaker/ dad living in paradise!” The truth is that life as a single dad in Encinitas is incredibly difficult. I’m thankful to have God in my life, and an amazing community of friends and family around me who have always been there when times are tough.
Contact Info:
- Website: jesseschluntz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesseschluntz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.schluntz/
Image Credits
AJ Neste, Torrey Piro, Justin Kron.
