SCOFFLAW FILMS
John Mossman has written and directed numerous award-winning films, earning best- of-fests worldwide and screenings at Palm Springs, Aspen, and LA’s DGA, Chinese Theater and Egyptian Theater as part of of the American Cinemateque Series. His recent feature Good Guy With A Gun has been heralded for its unique portrayal of gun culture in America. Also a documentarian, he received Telly and Voice awards for portraits of teens struggling with mental illness.
Co-founder of Artistic Home Theater he received awards for his adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s The Goddess, as well as his direction of Requiem For a Heavyweight and was named Director of the Year by WBEZ radio. He has taught at Second City, in Dublin, and Thailand where he was co-creator of a healing ritual performance in Hell’s Pass. An invited participant at Wesleyan University’s Institute For The Study of Guns In Society, he has participated on panels and on an ongoing Gun Lethality Index study.
Founder of South Side Filmmaking Youth Initiative, he mentored Chicago high school students for 18 years, garnering young filmmakers worldwide screenings and two national Emmy Awards. He is a film directing professor at Columbia College Chicago.
Will started in production working at ad agencies DDB and BBDO producing multi-million- dollar ad campaigns for national brands from Budweiser to General Mills, SC Johnson, Wrigley and Seagram’s. He then turned his entrepreneurial sights as a freelance producer, director and production company owner, cultivating relationships with many agencies and clients including VMLY&R, Cramer Krassalt, Digitas, and HAVAS, while delivering exceptional multi-million-dollar budget work for brands such as Modelo, Sears, Corona, and Porsche.
During that time, he also picked up the camera from his college production degree and started directing music videos, commercials, short films and ad driven content. He founded his first successful production company, Jackknife, running that for several years. His next production company Minimal picked up with national brand commercial production and began developing feature-length documentary and narrative films.
One of the films produced in that period was Good Guy with a Gun, which brought Will together with longtime friend and collaborator John Mossman to form Meyers/Mossman Films. Will is also the past President of the Midwest Film Festival, where he served the board for the past seven years.
Jennifer Jelsema is a professional actor, writer, and creative collaborator based in Chicago. As an actor she has appeared in over 40 films including THE END OF THE TOUR, COME AS YOU ARE, and BROADCAST SIGNAL INTRUSION. Her television appearances include CHICAGO MED, EMPIRE, and CHICAGO FIRE. On stage she has performed in and helped develop new works at Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, and Jackalope Theatre.
Jennifer entered into the world of producing as a co-producer on the award winning short film FITTING DESCRIPTIONS and discovered it was an exceptionally natural fit for her passions, capabilities, and experience; merging all of the seemingly disparate careers, disciplines, and pursuits throughout her life. She is currently producing a project she co-wrote that will serve as a stand-alone short film as well as a proof of concept for an episodic.
Creative and collaborative, led by curiosity, Jennifer is deeply passionate about nurturing and supporting artists, helping develop their stories and bringing them to life. Whether it’s co-writing comedy segments for a popular morning radio show, consulting and co-writing various feature film scripts, participating in readings and workshops for new works, or simply providing honest feedback on the plethora of scripts that come through her inbox. Jennifer is represented by Gray Talent Group and is current member of SAG-AFTRA, Independent Film Alliance (IFA), Midwest Film Festival, and Chicago Filmmakers.
