Jake Zortman is a storyteller with decades of experience behind the camera. He cut his teeth as a hand-held cameraman, capturing everything from NFL sidelines to adventure documentaries, developing a knack for resourcefulness and shooting in challenging, fast-moving environments. Over time, his eye for composition and love of lighting as a storytelling tool led him into more complex, cinemaic work. 

 

As a director of photography, Jake built a reputation for creating visually rich, emotionally grounded stories—shooting hundreds of commercials, promos, campaigns, and specialty projects for major studios, networks, and global brands. In 2002, he founded BackFocus, a cinematography-focused production company, where he combined creative vision with a deep technical skillset. By staying on the leading edge of camera and lighting technology, he delivered high-end content that met the industry’s highest standards while prioritizing life at home with his two young sons—a choice that allowed him to balance creative ambition with being a present father and husband.

 

With his sons now grown, Jake has returned to his first creative love—narrative storytelling. In 2024, he published his debut novel, The Rise of The Legends, a middle grade adventure blending thrilling storytelling with STEM-inspired educational elements. The book has since grown into a transmedia world, inspiring literacy programs, summer camps, and new content in development. His next project, The Adam Chronicles, is a YA speculative sci-fi duology currently being shopped for representation and screen adaptation.

 

Alongside his work as a director of photography and director, Jake created Mythic Content, a creative studio dedicated to developing and producing original narrative IP, documentaries, and brand-aligned content. As a producer, he has overseen hundreds of short-form projects, co-produced the feature documentary QT8: The First Eight, and recently completed a four-part documentary series profiling the work of Tim Burton that's now being shopped. Mythic builds on that foundation, drawing from decades of production experience, technical mastery, and creative vision to bring stories to life.