Jonathan Moeller

Hi, I’m Jonathan — filmmaker, teacher, community-builder, and occasional herder of film students who swear they totally saved the footage this time.

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My filmmaking path started at The University of New Orleans, where I learned to tell stories with heart (and humidity), and continued at Columbia College Chicago, where I refined my craft and learned that no matter how big your camera is, someone will still ask if it “shoots in 4K.” Since then, I’ve spent more than a decade working across all areas of film and video production — from writing and directing to shooting, editing, and convincing locations that “we’ll be really quiet, I promise.”

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In addition to my life on set, I’ve been a dedicated film educator. I built educational film programs from the ground up at DePaul College Prep High School the Beverly Arts Center. There’s nothing quite like watching young filmmakers discover their voice — or the pride that comes from helping a student export their first project with sound included. These spaces have become creative hubs where collaboration, curiosity, and a healthy amount of controlled chaos thrive.

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My professional work spans from scrappy indie shoots to productions with McDonald’s Creative Services and The Onion. Working with big commercial brands taught me how to operate at scale, collaborate with wide-ranging creative teams, and stay calm when someone uses the phrase “brand-forward storytelling” unironically. Those experiences prepared me well for running my own filmmaking collective (The Firehouse Film Collective), where I get to mix the professionalism commercial production with the heart, humor, and hustle of independent filmmaking.

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What ties everything together — the classrooms, the commercial shoots, the late-night edits fueled by questionable amounts of coffee — is a belief in community. Film is a team sport. Whether I'm making a short film with students, producing a branded video, or collaborating with fellow filmmakers, my priority is always the same: create an environment where people feel empowered, supported, and excited to make something meaningful.

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I’m deeply committed to helping all voices tell their stories — especially those who don’t always see themselves reflected on screen or feel like filmmaking belongs to them. Whether I’m working with students picking up a camera for the first time, community members exploring personal narratives, or collaborators bringing lived experiences to life through film, my goal is to open doors, not guard them. I believe storytelling is a right, not a luxury, and that the most powerful films are born when a diversity of perspectives gets the space, support, and encouragement to shine. If someone has a story to tell — whether it’s a sweeping drama or a weird comedy about a sentient vending machine — I want to help them tell it, frame by frame.

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Film is how I tell stories. Teaching is how I empower others to tell theirs. And community? That’s where the best stories begin — ideally somewhere with good coffee, enthusiastic collaborators, and at least one person who knows how to coil a cable properly.