EP.016 - Mike Jacobs // Director of "Who Is Michael Jang?"

Bedroom with Patrick Sean Gibson

Episode 16 - Mike Jacobs // Director. Documentary Filmmaker.
"Mike Jacobs is one hell of a dude and one hell of a storyteller. In my opinion, he’s a titan of filmmaking here in the Bay Area. I know he wouldn’t agree with me on that statement, but that’s just because the guy is about as humble as they come - and that’s what makes him so alluring. He’s modest and unassuming in his demeanor, but boy does he has an incredible catalog of work to back up his game. It’s honestly extremely impressive. Having directed ESPN 30 for 30 documentary films, a documentary on Marvel for Disney+, and being a showrunner on a four-part Emmy-nominated documentary series for HBO Sports, he’s also made a myriad of award-winning short films, co-founded a successful production company, and has contributed extensively to the documentary filmmaking culture here in the Bay Area. For me, this was a special episode because Mike and I share a similar love for the intersection of filmmaking and sports. If either of those two subjects happen to interest you, this episode will be a golden one for your ears.
In this episode of BEDROOM™, Mike shares what it was like growing up in Boulder, Colorado, moving to San Francisco, and making his first documentary film, Audience of One. We discuss meeting and collaborating with Barry Jenkins and forming Strike Anywhere Productions alongside co-founders Justin Barber and Ryan Simon. We go behind the scenes on the ESPN 30 for 30 short he directed, The High Five. We also talk about Gift of Gab, a short film portrait of iconic artist Timothy Parker from the hip-hop group Blackalicious, as well as the pressures surrounding artists and filmmakers in the modern day. We delve into the series he directed for Roku, Blackballed, which highlights the five days during the 2014 NBA playoffs when the Los Angeles Clippers led an unprecedented movement to hold racism accountable. We briefly touch on the documentary he did for Marvel, Marvel’s Behind the Mask, which premiered on Disney+. Then we dive into my favorite part of the episode—his most recent documentary, Who is Michael Jang?, which he made for PBS’s Independent Lens. In this episode Mike shares a lot of really cool behind-the-scenes insights from all of these projects and there’s a lot to be learned from his insights and a shit ton of inspiration to be gained as well.
Big shout outs to Mike for coming onto the pod. Welcome to the BEDROOM™, y’all! WORLD WIDE PEACE!” - PSG
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Mike Jacobs’ Socials & Websites:
Strike Anywhere: www.strikeanywherefilms.com
Website: www.michaeldjacobs.com

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