Jonathan Leiter

Born in southwest Michigan to Scott and Ramona Leiter, Jonathan first picked up a camera when he was just 4 years old. By the time he was 7, he was already creating elaborate projects, such as a shot-by-shot remake of The Empire Strikes Back. At age 8, he had discovered the wonders of animation, whereby age 9, he had entered his first film festival, The Kalamazoo Animation Festival Int., as the youngest solo entrant in the 5-12 year bracket. That year, in 2002, he won third-prize Bronze in his age group for his short, "Pseudo Pluto." By age 11, Jonathan was getting bolder; creating films that were far longer and even more elaborate than before. Yet, so far, it had all been animation. It wasn't until age 14 that Jonathan would return to live-action, where he would now forge a new path for himself in the realm of visual effects. Each film, and each experimental short since 2007 has involved some level of visual effects. He's always considered it his edge. No matter where he was, what he was making, or who he was making it for, the most important thing was always to wow the audience. In 2011, Jonathan was accepted to the Savannah College of Art & Design, where he would co-direct and produce a series of shorts called "The Primary Spies," direct and produce the short film, "Field Training Exam," and write, direct, and produce his latest short, "Bill & Maggie's Intergalactic Taxi Service:" a film that is a mixture of everything Jonathan knows and loves about film and animation. When he's not making films, Jonathan's chief hobbies include drawing, voice acting & impressionism, and playing video games: namely "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" and the "Ratchet & Clank" series. His biggest passion is 2D animation: which influences all his work in one way or another. And his biggest inspiration is music: namely Smooth Jazz, J-pop, and movie/game soundtracks.