Jonathan Kesselman

Jonathan Kesselman (born 1974) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, who first gained notice as the writer and director of The Hebrew Hammer.

Early life Kesselman grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in psychology, and then spent a few years working as an information systems consultant. He studied film at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 2001 with a master's degree in film production.

Career The Hebrew Hammer While at USC, Kesselman wrote and directed a short film version of The Hebrew Hammer, In 2001, ContentFilm offered to finance a feature film version, with Edward R. Pressman and John Schmidt on board as executive producers. and has a cameo from Melvin Van Peebles reprising his role as Sweetback from Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971). It premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, It aired exclusively on Comedy Central for five years after its theatrical release, and is generally considered to be a cult film.

In 2005, Kesselman and Goldberg started discussing a sequel to The Hebrew Hammer, and Kesselman wrote the first draft of the script. In 2013, Kesselman and Goldberg first announced the sequel publicly.

Jimmy Vestvood Kesselman directed the 2016 political satire Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero, written by Maz Jobrani and Amir Ohebsion, and starring Jobrani as an Iranian traffic cop who moves from Tehran to Los Angeles to become a private investigator. It premiered at the 2014 Austin Film Festival, where it won the Comedy Vanguard Jury Award and the Audience Award for Comedy Vanguard Feature. It was released in theaters on May 13, 2016.

Other Kesselman directed the 2013 TV pilot Grow, a comedy about a Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensary starring Jamie Hector and Dale Dickey. and wrote the five-part series Writing in My Father's Footsteps, published in The Forward in 2009. It won second place in the Nefesh B'Nefesh category of the Simon Rockower Awards.

Kesselman was the showrunner on the six-episode 2020 sketch comedy series Gander, written by Rob Kutner and featuring Adam Goldberg, Lewis Black, Jay Mohr, Oscar Nunez, and Rachel Dratch.

Filmography Feature films YearTitleCredited asNotes 2003 The Hebrew Hammer Writer and director 2016 Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero Director 2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 2nd unit director Directed by Ang Lee