Jonathan Shestack

Jonathan "Jon" Shestack is a film producer. He has produced well-known movies, such as Air Force One and Firewall. Additionally, he was one of the founders of Cure Autism Now (CAN), an autism-focused nonprofit organization that was formed on August 9, 1995 and merged with Autism Speaks on December 31, 2007. His father was Jerome J. Shestack, a well-known lawyer from Philadelphia, and his mother is Marciarose Shestack, a broadcast journalist.

Shestack has stated that his production style starts with a pitch for a script. He then refines the idea as needed until a studio decides that it will be made into a movie. He has also advocated giving credit to people that play an indirect role in moviemaking. He has been eager to use the films he produces to raise money for autism research.

Shestack started CAN after his son, Dov, was diagnosed with autism. with a primary focus on cure- and treatment-related research. Shestack received many donations through his connections in Hollywood. He was known for being able to attract significant donors and awareness, to the extent that he played a major role in convincing the United States Congress to pass the Combating Autism Act of 2006. Initially, Shestack was against the merger of CAN with Autism Speaks, but decided to eventually accept it.

In 2010, Shestack criticized autistic activist and Autistic Self Advocacy Network founder Ari Ne'eman following Ne'eman's nomination by U.S. President Barack Obama to sit on the National Council on Disability. Shestack stated, "Why people have gotten upset is, he doesn’t seem to represent, understand or have great sympathy for all the people who are truly, deeply affected in a way that he isn’t."

In 2017 Shestack's production company was selected to produce the Netflix film adaption of the 2005 science-fiction book Old Man's War by John Scalzi. As of February 2026, Shestack's personal website lists the film as "in development."

In 2022 Shestack was selected to produce Only Apparently Real, a biopic based on Philip K Dick.

Filmography

Year Title Role 1994 The Last Seduction Producer 1997 Air Force One Producer 1998 Disturbing Behavior Producer 2001 Soul Survivors Executive producer 2005 Waiting... Executive producer 2006 Firewall Producer 2006 Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas Executive producer 2007 Dan in Real Life Producer 2009 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Producer 2013 Open Grave Executive producer 2016 We Love You Producer 2017 Before I Fall Producer