Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacob Hunt.
Hi Jacob, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born four months premature, weighing just one pound and twelve ounces. At seven days old, I underwent heart surgery, and throughout my life I’ve faced numerous medical challenges. I grew up with only one functioning vocal cord and have lived with lung disease for as long as I can remember. While those challenges shaped my early years, they never defined my curiosity or creativity.
Despite my medical struggles, I was always a creative kid. I spent most of my childhood outside with friends, coming up with elaborate stories, or indoors creating worlds with action figures. I loved reading and becoming fully immersed in fictional worlds, and that sense of escape and imagination eventually translated into my love for film. Movies have always played a huge role in my life. Some of my fondest memories growing up are going to the movies, especially with my mom, she has always been the best plus-one for a movie, and that’s still true today. As a kid, I often said I wanted to be an actor, though I never seriously pursued it at the time.
It wasn’t until high school, when I was stuck at home as one of only four students in my school taking online classes, that things really shifted. I enrolled in a photography class and began experimenting with a camera. I immediately fell in love with the medium and bought my first camera—the same one I still use today, a Fujifilm XT-200. During that period, I wasn’t just watching movies; I was studying them. I dove into behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and production breakdowns, and became fascinated with the filmmaking process itself. That curiosity led me to start making short films with my friends, and from there, I fully committed myself to the arts.
By my junior year of high school, I had returned to in-person classes and decided to push myself even further by joining the spring play. I was terrified. I was part of the ensemble and had a few small roles, but the moment I stepped on stage, it felt exhilarating. That experience confirmed that storytelling—whether on stage, behind a camera, or through an image was where I belonged.
By the end of that year, I knew a traditional academic path wasn’t for me. While researching film schools, I discovered SCAD. From the moment I toured, I felt an unmatched sense of certainty. At the end of the day, my dad said, “Jacob, I think you’d be insane if you didn’t go to this school,” and he was right. I’m incredibly grateful to my parents for their unwavering support.
Today im now a junior who has made multiple short films, currently in prep for a big project later this quarter, and am shooting a documentary in the spring. I still love photography as well as going to the movies quite often, and still feel driven by the same curiosity and passion for storytelling that started when I was a kid, only now, I’m building a future around it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a completely smooth road. The medical issues I mentioned earlier have had a significant impact on my life—frequent hospital visits, unexpected illnesses, and periods where I’d be out of school for weeks at a time were not uncommon. Those interruptions often made it difficult to maintain a sense of normalcy, especially during developmental years.
Transitioning to online school during COVID and then returning to in-person life afterward was another major challenge. Because of my underlying health conditions, I had to be especially cautious, which meant missing out on some social experiences that many of my peers were able to have. At the same time, I was fortunate to have a really strong friend group throughout middle and high school, so I was never completely alone. Even with my friend group, I sometimes found myself wondering how different things might have been if I didn’t have to carry those concerns how much more social or carefree that period of my life could have been.
That said, I truly believe those struggles are essential to who I am today. They became a fundamental part of my makeup, shaping the way I observe the world and ultimately how I tell stories. While the road hasn’t been easy, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in narrative filmmaking, primarily focusing on writing, directing, and producing projects. Lately, I’ve also been starting to delve into the documentary world, which has been a new and an exciting journey. I firmly believe that if you want to direct, you need to know how to write, and that foundation has been essential to my growth. I’m most proud of how I’ve been able to fully dive into this profession and how, every day, I strive to be a better version of myself—no matter how corny that sounds.
What’s next?
After I graduate, I plan on moving to New York to keep pursuing filmmaking and storytelling. I’m excited to dive into new projects, meet creative people, and keep growing as a writer, director, and producer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jthunt.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jhuntfilmphoto
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-hunt-16b197352
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jhunt5542
