Hi. My name’s Jesse.

I’m a screenwriter, playwright,
and occasional actor from the Midwest.

I’m best known for creating and starring in the theater production King Gilgamesh with Ahmed Moneka (featuring his five-piece Arabic jazz band), which sold out runs in Minneapolis, New York, Halifax and Toronto, where it won a Dora Award for Best Music and was nominated in four other categories (Best New Play, Best Director, Best Lighting, Best Actor).

I also wrote on the Lionsgate film Float and the Netflix film Code 8: Part ll, which hit #1 in 71 countries. As an actor, I won the Toronto ACTRA Award and received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for my work in Violation (Sundance, TIFF, NYTimes Critics’ Pick), and I’ve performed in new plays across the U.S. and Canada.

Other artists and producers I’ve had the privilege to work with include Hannah Moscovitch, Sarah Ruhl, Seth Bockley, my grandma Judith Guest, Emily Silverman, The National Arts Centre of Canada, Soulpepper Theatre, Crow’s Theatre and The Public Theater.

Fun story: in my early 20s I lived, sailed and performed with the Caravan Stage Company on their 98 ft. tall ship with a crew of North American and European singers, aerialists and vagabonds. Together we toured Hacked (an electric-rock opera / circus show) from Florida to New York on intracoastal waterways, open ocean and up the Hudson River, using the boat as a stage with the audience on the dock or shore.

We were also kicked out of Portsmouth, VA by the mayor for, “bringing the devil into their town.” That’s me in the photo below, under the word “horror.”

Let me know if you’d like to chat.

Or if you’d like me to bring the devil into your town.