The moment award winning Director Jared Cohn yells, “THAT’S WRAP!” he rushes off set and hops onto the director’s chair at another location and yells, “ACTION.” Cohn ranks as a top director and directs on average five to six films a year. He is in demand due to his versatility and years of experience. This year alone he’s directed genres in comedy, horror, action, and thrillers. Producers and production companies are attracted to his capability of staying on budget and on time.
Learning is very important to Cohn and in addition to learning from his own films, he’s constantly reading, listening to audio tapes, and watching movies to better his craft as a filmmaker. Never before has he been so driven and focused to make films and he welcomes all the rewards and stress that comes with the job.
Cohn does not sit around waiting for his phone to ring with an opportunity, he’s proactive and if he’s not directing a film for a studio, then he’s likely working on a project with his partners at Traplight Pictures. Recent films that Cohn directed and Traplight Pictures co-produced include, LITTLE DEAD ROTTING HOOD, DEVIL’S DOMAIN, GOD’S CLUB, DEATH POOL, THE DOMICILE, WISHING FOR A DREAM, THE HORDE and AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL. “Jared is one of the most talented individuals working in Hollywood today, and he has a work ethic like no other person I know,” tells Gabriel Campisi co-founder of Traplight. “There are so many things planned and coming together for the immediate and long-term futures, I can honestly say what he’s done so far is barely the tip of the iceberg. Things take time to come together, but it’s always about people in the end. I’m so happy and grateful that he is my partner at Traplight Pictures.”
Demetrius Stear has starred in many of Jared’s films and in recent years has joined Cohn and Campisi as a partner at Traplight Pictures. “Jared is an actor’s director. He gives his actors liberty in finding character’s voices,” tells Stear. “I’m grateful on my experiences of working with him and his insights on helping me grow as an actor. He’s passionate, innovative, and most of all he’s a doer.”
Cohn started off as an actor and today he occasionally prefers to take the back seat once in awhile and be directed. With his acting background he’s able to relate to the actors in his films. He understands what actors go through on a daily basis and that they’re human and have good and bad days. Cohn uses his acting experience when directing to get the actors in his films to channel their emotions and use it in their scenes. One example is how he and actress Kelly McCart collaborated and perfected her spectacular performance in LOCKED UP. The movie is about Mallory (Kelly McCart) an American teenager that gets bullied at her school in Southeast Asia, she fights back–and gets sent to a reform school. But the “school” is more like a prison, and the young teenager must fend off predatory guards and menacing gangs to survive.
McCart has been in many shorts and performs on stage often and LOCKED UP was her first feature film. She plays the lead role of Mallory and was nervous but eager to travel halfway across the globe to take on the challenging role and did so with flying honors. “Working with Jared was an awesome experience,” shares McCart. “I tend to be the quiet, shy girl on set, and even though he respected that, he also helped me to get really comfortable in my completely foreign environment. I learned so much from being around him – whether he was directing me, other actors, communicating with the crew, or acting along side me. I was truly lucky to have him as a director for my first major project. He’s a powerhouse too: never stops working, never stops trying to get better.”
LOCKED UP was filmed in Thailand and Cohn had the local assistance from Daemon Hillin of Benetone Films. Cohn and Traplight have worked with Hillin multiple times in Thailand and Los Angeles. Hillin’s expertise in the Thai filmmaking business made the entire production process go rather smooth. KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE was also filmed in Thailand this year and just like LOCKED UP, the movie was produced by The Asylum and production services were provided by Hilling and Benetone films. The screenplay was written by Scotty Mullen who also casted the film. “Jared Cohn brought the script for KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE to life in ways I never imagined. He has such a fun, adventurous, boyish spirit and is always finding inventive new ways to bring scenes and characters to life. He’s one of my all-time favorite collaborators to work with!” shared Mullen.
Recently Cohn worked tirelessly with legendary drummer Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd on the film Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. The film is based on Pyle’s experience and recollection of the bands horrific plane crash in 1977. The tragedy claimed the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s singer Ronnie Van Zant and several others on board including backup vocalist Cassie Gaines who was guitarist Steve Gaines sister. The crash occurred three days after the release of their album STREET SURVIVORS.
With many more projects in the works for Cohn, check out some of his recent and upcoming films listed below.
THE DOMICILE (Horror)
Russel Brody, a one-time successful playwright, works diligently on a follow-up play that could land him back in the spotlight he so early craves. With a baby on the way, however, and a strained marriage, stress and frustration take center stage. When his wife accidentally stumbles down the stairs and dies from her injuries, Brody’s mental state goes from bad to one of utter despair. In a bid to help his friend regain his sanity, Brody’s co-writer David Stanley suggests he revisits Lucy, his former mistress. The ghost of Brody’s dead wife awakens to the sordid details of his unfaithfulness, enraging her supernatural spirit to haunt him in every horrifying way imaginable. At first, Brody thinks he’s hallucinating and hearing things in his head, the result of his state of mind and alcohol. But as things intensify, his grip on sanity quickly slips away, and he starts to go mad. Appearing in every shadow, and provoking him relentlessly, the ghost cranks up her onslaught, making his life a living hell. Brody reaches his breaking point when the ghost possesses his former mistress, and he’s forced to confront the scorned entity — resulting in a climax of both psychological and physical terror.
AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL (Comedy)
Two high school kids mentored by a nightclub owner go on a mission to find their classmate when she is kidnapped by a secret society.
DEATH POOL (Thriller)
Johnny Taylor has a big problem: he LOVES to drown good-looking girls. When he sees water and attractive females together, something in his head begs him to kill – the psychological result of a traumatic near-drowning during his childhood at the hands of a twisted babysitter. Fighting the urge to act on his sinister thoughts most of his adult life, Johnny finally succumbs to his dark instincts when the only work he can find is around water, cleaning pools. Filled with colorful characters, beautiful women and set against the backdrop of the LA party scene, Death Pool encapsulates the desire for fame, the lust for desire, and the urge to kill.
EVIL NANNY (Thriller)
A couple hires a live-in nanny to watch the offspring while they work. At first, everything goes perfectly, but when an unsafe incident means the parents no longer want the nanny around, they find out this nanny is savvy at not being evicted from her live-in situation. So savvy, in fact, that she can make these parents’ lives a true nightmare.
DEVIL’S DOMAIN (Horror)
After becoming the victim of vicious cyber bullies, Lisa makes a deal with the devil to exact revenge on her tormentors.
LITTLE DEAD ROTTING HOOD (Horror/Thriller)
The residents of a small town discover that something more sinister than killer wolves is lurking in the backwoods: first the wolves start turning up dead…then people.
THE HORDE (Horror Action)
The film follows John Crenshaw as he accompanies his girlfriend and her students on a weekend nature-photography expedition deep into the woods. What should be an educational and fun-filled weekend turns into horror as the group is besieged by an unspeakable evil – a horde of hideously disfigured, mutated humans with an insatiable taste for blood. As things go from bad to worse, Crenshaw becomes their only hope if they are going to get out alive.
GOD’S CLUB (Drama)
A debate about allowing school prayer pits Christians against Atheist.
WISHING FOR A DREAM (Drama)
Actress Mika Andrews and her filmmaker boyfriend Louis Digman struggle through the trenches of the entertainment industry to succeed in “Hollywood.” Told in raw documentary style, the camera chronicles Mika’s journey through Los Angeles, going to auditions and trying to make her mark in front of the camera. Louis’s story shows his struggles behind the scenes as an up-and-coming writer-director. The film also follows their ups and downs as a young couple, supporting each other through the stresses, hopes, desires, disappointments and Mika’s crippling insomnia, as they try to make ends meet and pursue their dreams in an often heart-breaking industry.
BUDDY HUTCHINS (Thriller)
Buddy Hutchins is just a regular guy doing his best to support a wife and two kids. A recovering alcoholic, Buddy hasn’t had a drink for the better part of a year, but it turns out the only reward for his good behavior is a failing business and a cheating wife. Throw in a ruthless bounty hunter and an hot-tempered ex, and Buddy’s already short fuse is about to blow. Pushed over the edge and armed with a chainsaw, Buddy Hutchins is out for blood.
Keep updated with all of Cohn’s work by visiting and following his sites:
www.traplightmedia.com
Twitter: @TrapLightMedia
Facebook: jared.cohn
Instagram: jaredcohn1
Written by: Keith Makenas
