Difference between revisions of "Jason Xenopoulos"
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
| − | Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he grew up with a successful businessman for a father. Determined to follow a different path by becoming a filmmaker, he spent four years studying film and television at New York University and returned to South Africa. However, finding it almost impossible to secure funding for hiss first script, he packed the script away and became an internet entrepreneur, co-founding VWV Interactive, one of South Africa's first internet businesses and | + | Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he grew up with a successful businessman for a father. Determined to follow a different path by becoming a filmmaker, he spent four years studying film and television at New York University and returned to South Africa. However, finding it almost impossible to secure funding for hiss first script, he packed the script away and became an internet entrepreneur, co-founding VWV Interactive, one of South Africa's first internet businesses. The business was an unexpected success and within 18 months, part of it was sold to Primedia, where Jason went on to become Chief Executive. |
| + | |||
| + | In the following year he launched and listed Metropolis Transactive and became the youngest Chief Executive of a JSE-listed company, with shares quadrupling in value over night. However, Metropolis went bust eventually and he returned to his original passion for a while, making the critically acclaimed film ''[[Promise Land]]'' and thereafter pursuing a film career for the next 10 years. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Ever restless, his passion soon led to the merger between three specialist agencies — a convergence of advertising, entertainment, digital and traditional — giving birth to [[Native]], a company that rapidly grew to be Africa's leading digital marketing agency and would become part of the VML network and was named Entertainment Agency of the Year at Cannes. | ||
In addition to his creative awards, Jason was named "All Africa Entrepreneur of the Year" by [CNBC]] and "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the ''[[SA Jewish Report]]''. | In addition to his creative awards, Jason was named "All Africa Entrepreneur of the Year" by [CNBC]] and "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the ''[[SA Jewish Report]]''. | ||
Revision as of 05:50, 23 March 2022
Jason Xenopoulos () is an award-winning film director, write and producer, and .
Contents
Biography
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he grew up with a successful businessman for a father. Determined to follow a different path by becoming a filmmaker, he spent four years studying film and television at New York University and returned to South Africa. However, finding it almost impossible to secure funding for hiss first script, he packed the script away and became an internet entrepreneur, co-founding VWV Interactive, one of South Africa's first internet businesses. The business was an unexpected success and within 18 months, part of it was sold to Primedia, where Jason went on to become Chief Executive.
In the following year he launched and listed Metropolis Transactive and became the youngest Chief Executive of a JSE-listed company, with shares quadrupling in value over night. However, Metropolis went bust eventually and he returned to his original passion for a while, making the critically acclaimed film Promise Land and thereafter pursuing a film career for the next 10 years.
Ever restless, his passion soon led to the merger between three specialist agencies — a convergence of advertising, entertainment, digital and traditional — giving birth to Native, a company that rapidly grew to be Africa's leading digital marketing agency and would become part of the VML network and was named Entertainment Agency of the Year at Cannes.
In addition to his creative awards, Jason was named "All Africa Entrepreneur of the Year" by [CNBC]] and "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the SA Jewish Report.
Having judged the Branded Entertainment category at Cannes Lions, Jason and his jury co-authored the book, The Art of Branded Entertainment, which made it onto the Amazon Bestsellers list.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
His love of the medium has led him to continue working in film industry as writer, producer and director. Among his achievements here have been:
He wrote and directed Promised Land (2002) and directed Critical Assignment (2002).
Critical Assignment was selected as the Opening Night Screening at the 11th New York African Film Festival and went on to win the Jury Award at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and the award for Best West African Picture at the Screen National Film & TV Awards in London.
He was a second unit director for the TV film Sword of Xanten (2004), Les deux mondes (2007), Doomsday (2008) and the Tony Mitchell film Flood (2008) and in 2020 was executive producer for the video short Marchosias.
Sources
https://en.everybodywiki.com/Jason_Xenopoulos
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790665/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm
Go to the ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities X
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
