Jesse’s work has garnered two national News and Documentary Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award. Many of his projects have appeared in festivals all over the world including Sundance, Tribeca and Cannes.
Jesse’s esthetic sits at the intersection of documentary objectivity and narrative subjectivity. He believes that storytellers should lean into their unique perspectives to find the authentic truths at the heart of the stories they are telling, and their creative and visual choices should reflect an empathetic understanding of their subjects. It is through this process that the audience can have a deeper connection with the images flickering in front of them.
Jesse was drawing and painting before he can remember. Art started out as a safe haven from chaos outside his control. Then gradually it became a way to be seen and valued in the world. Now almost 20 years into his career Jesse’s work has become a way to help others do what he could not; a gift he can give to his younger self and to the people who find themselves on the other side of his lens — the gift of being seen.