Jake McDowell

Jake Ryan McDowell is a Canadian screenwriter, film director, and producer. Jake was born and raised in the small town of Courtice, Ontario, Canada. With the help of his friends, Jake began making short films at age 12. In 2007, at the age of 17, he directed his first feature, a "modern retelling fan-film" of John Carpenter's Halloween. The student film was screened for free twice at his local theatre, both times hitting audience capacity. A three-hour "original fan film sequel to the fan film modernized retelling" was completed by his high school graduation and was also screened several times. In 2008, Jake was accepted into York University's Film program. During his four-year degree, he wrote, directed, and produced the retro-throwback slasher film Broken Hearts (2010), the abstract horror ensemble The Dark Chronicles (2011), the stoner comedy Four Twenty (2012) and subversive thriller Found Footage (2012), all of which have had theatrical and festival screenings. Also during his time at York, Jake acted, produced, and assisted on many student films. Jake took a couple of years off from directing before returning with Bottle Up (2015). Jake continues to work in video editing, screenwriting, producing, and directing. He resides in Toronto, Ontario.