Biography

Why would NBC, CBS, The CW, and Telemundo interview this up-and-coming 21-year-old director? Jonny Santana's most recent work, "Just Another Tuesday" landed him in the midst of one of society's most pressing issues: gun violence and suicide. Inspired by a Ted Talk on the topic, Jonny completed the project by inspiring 150 cast members to work for free.

He has already worked with an impressive list of collaborators and clients including grammy-nominated artist Steve Aoki, the co-founder of billion-dollar brand Quest Nutrition, Tom Bilyeu, as well as interviews with celebrities like Neil Degrass Tyson, Michael Ovitz, and Michael Strahan to name a few.

You might think this is the story of an overnight success, but it's anything but that. Jonny's a first-generation Mexican-American who started making movies at the tender age of 4. By the age of eleven, he was entertaining 600 students weekly when his public elementary school would pause class to play his newest short film. And inspired by Steven Spielberg, by the age of 19 he had directed two full-length 90-minute films with more than a hundred artists volunteering to his vision. Taking inspiration from Kubrick's Imagery, Scorsese's storytelling, and Spike Lee's social impact- Jonny craft's an irresistible blend you could only describe as Santana.

Recently he was invited by TEDx to speak on his ability to inspire others in telling stories that change the world.

The people closest to Jonny enjoy his charismatic presence and passion for great storytelling. His immigrant parents taught him the value of hard work, determination, and good intent. His ambitions now lie in his upcoming slate of films which tackle the issues of suicide, gay and Latino representation in film, and mental health.

- IMDb mini biography by: Jonny Santana