Zak Knutson

Last updated
Zak Charles Knutson
BornJanuary 4, 1974 (1974-01-04) (age 50)
Occupation(s)American actor and film producer
Years active1993–present
SpouseMolly Glover (2010-present)

Zak Knutson (born January 4, 1974, in Detroit, Michigan) is a director, producer, writer, and actor.

Contents

Career

1990s

Starting in 1993, Knutson acted in multiple television programs including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Coach , Beverly Hills, 90210 , and The John Larroquette Show .

2000s

In 2000, Knutson landed an assistant role at View Askew Productions. [1] In 2005, he created the production company Chop Shop Entertainment [1] [2] with longtime friend Joey Figueroa.

2010s

The last Chop Shop project was Milius , a documentary on Hollywood rebel John Milius. The film opened at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013. The film also played at the Telluride Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. In 2014, Knutson directed Marvel 75: From Pulp to Pop [3] for Marvel and ABC Television. Knutson directed Shock the World, a documentary about Jesse Ventura's path from professional wrestler to governor of Minnesota. Shock the World premiered April 2015 at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. [4] [5]

Knutson directed Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years, which aired on ABC on January 19, 2016. [6]

The film Supercon , starring Clancy Brown, Maggie Grace and John Malkovich, was written by Knutson (along with Dana Snyder and Andy Sipes) and is directed by Knutson. [7]

Personal life

In his youth, Knutson was an avid surfer and a fan of the film Big Wednesday . [8] Knutson worked as a bouncer in the mid 1990s [9] and as a tour guide for Universal Studios Hollywood. [10]

Filmography

YearFilmDirectorProducerEditorActorNotes
1993 The John Larroquette Show YesEpisode "There's a Mister Hitler Here to See You" as Hanz
1994 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air YesEpisode "I Know Why the Caged Bird Screams" as Football Player #2
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine YesEpisode "Civil Defense" as Pakled Commander
Coach YesEpisodes "The Popcorn Bowl" and "Out of Control" as Doug Prescott
1995 Sisters YesEpisode "Sleeping with the Devil" as Drunk Frat Guy
Burke's Law YesEpisode "Who Killed Cock-a-Doodle Dooley?" as Detective Dan Cutter
Species YesAs Club Doorman (uncredited)
2001 FreakyLinks YesEpisode "Subject: Still I Rise" as Production Assistant
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Yes(voice) (uncredited) as The C.L.I.T.
2004Snowball Effect: The Story of 'Clerks' Line producer
Clerks 10th Anniversary Q & AYes Producer
Clerks: The Lost SceneYes(voice) as Mr. Dwyer
2005Laws of GamblingYesYesAs Bartender
The ApeYesAlso Line producer
2006 Clerks II YesAs the Sexy Stud
Train Wreck!YesYesYes
Back to the Well: the making of Clerks II YesYesYes
2007The Art of Travel: Production WebisodesYesYesYes
Good Time MaxYesYes(co-producer); As Carl
2008 Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith YesYesYesco-produced; co-directed
2009 Fanboys YesAs Bob the Trucker
Popcorn Porn - Watching Zack and Miri Make a Porno YesYesYes
2011 Kevin Smith: Too Fat for 40 YesYesYes
Tracing Amy - The Chasing Amy DocYesYesYes
Hollywoo YesAs Paramount Head of Security
2012 Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell YesYesYes
Get the Gringo YesAs Hitman 2
Spoilers With Kevin Smith YesYesProducer:

Episode #1.10 You Don't Know Dick: 'K. Phillip'
Stiller? I Never Met Her
Aurora's Dark Knight
Peter Parker Pecked a Pack of Powers
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thong
Gore Score and Severed Ears Ago
Cruising to the Oldies
Ridley Me This, Fatman
Girls Just Wanna Have Guns

Director:

Episode #1.10
You Don't Know Dick: 'K. Phillip'
Stiller? I Never Met Her
Aurora's Dark Knight
Peter Parker Pecked a Pack of Powers
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thong
Gore Score and Severed Ears Ago
Cruising to the Oldies
Ridley Me This, Fatman
Girls Just Wanna Have Guns

2013 Milius YesYesYes
2014 Tusk YesAs Ernest Hemingway
Marvel 75: From Pulp to PopYes
2015Shock the WorldYes
2016Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic YearsYes
2018 Supercon YesAlso writing credit

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2013 SXSW Film Festival Audience AwardMiliusNominated
2013 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival New Visions AwardMiliusWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ondi Timoner</span> American film director

Ondi Doane Timoner is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive officer of Interloper Films, a production company located in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Kijak</span> American filmmaker

Stephen Kijak is an American film director. He is known for films about music and musicians, most notably the feature documentaries Scott Walker – 30 Century Man (2006), Stones in Exile (2010), We Are X (2016), If I Leave Here Tomorrow (2018), and Sid & Judy (2019). His collaborators and subjects include such musical legends and icons as David Bowie, Scott Walker, The Rolling Stones, Jaco Pastorius, Rob Trujillo, Backstreet Boys, X Japan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Judy Garland, and The Smiths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Steinbauer</span> American film director

Benjamin Jeffrey Steinbauer is an American director, writer and producer, who is best known for directing the feature documentary Winnebago Man (2009). Steinbauer has directed other documentaries, including Chop & Steele (2022), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, Brute Force (2012) and Heroes From The Storm (2017), as well as episodic television for the PBS show Stories of the Mind and the CBS show Pink Collar Crimes.

The New York Surf Film Festival is a film festival held in New York City featuring surf films that was held between 2008 and 2013.

Adam Bhala Lough is an American film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker from Fairfax, Virginia. Known for his dramas about subcultures and popular youth cultures, several of Lough's films have been selected as part of the Sundance Film Festival, and is the only filmmaker with a feature film and a documentary in the festival, as well as a screenplay selected for the annual Sundance Screenwriter's Lab.

Suzi Yoonessi is an American filmmaker. She wrote and directed the award-winning feature film Dear Lemon Lima, and directed the Duplass Brothers film Unlovable and Daphne and Velma for Warner Brothers. Yoonessi's short films No Shoulder and Dear Lemon Lima are distributed by Shorts International and Vanguard Cinema and her documentary film Vern is distributed by National Film Network and is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryl Wein</span> American artist, filmmaker, producer and actor

Daryl Robert Wein is an American artist, filmmaker, producer and actor.

Adam Hootnick is a director and producer of film, television, and other short-form content. His work includes What Carter Lost, UNSETTLED, Destination: Team USA, Son of the Congo, Judging Jewell, and Pro Day. He is currently developing his first narrative feature film.

Heretic Films is an American film production company, based in the mountain resort town of Park City, Utah. Heretic is known for working with artists, both new and established, on their passion projects.

Tanuj Chopra is an American film-maker. His debut feature film Punching at the Sun (2006) was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Humanitas Prize. He has directed Netflix web series Delhi Crime 2 whose first part was nominated for International Emmy

Andrea Blaugrund Nevins is a writer, director, and producer living in Los Angeles.

<i>Milius</i> (film) 2013 American film

Milius is a 2013 documentary film about the writer, producer, director John Milius, directed by Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabaah Folayan</span> American film maker

Sabaah Folayan is an American filmmaker and activist. Her debut documentary feature, Whose Streets?, on the 2014 Ferguson protests, premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Supercon</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Zak Knutson

Supercon is a 2018 American action comedy film directed by Zak Knutson, who wrote the screenplay with Andy Sipes and Dana Snyder. It stars an ensemble cast including Ryan Kwanten, Maggie Grace, Mike Epps, Russell Peters, Clancy Brown, and John Malkovich.

Darius Clark Monroe is a writer, producer, and director, living and working in Brooklyn, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Z Weinstein</span> American filmmaker

Joshua Z Weinstein is an American independent filmmaker based in New York City. He directed the A24 film Menashe (2017), and the feature documentaries Drivers Wanted (2012) and Flying on One Engine (2008). His director of photography credits include Bikini Moon (2017), Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013), and Code of the West (2012). Weinstein was nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and Breakthrough Director at the Gotham Awards. He has been nominated for a Cannes Lion for his advertising work and won a first place POY for his work with The New York Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Workman</span> American filmmaker and editor

Jeremy Workman is an American filmmaker and editor. His documentary films frequently focus on artists, eccentrics, outsiders, and those with extreme passions. His acclaimed films include Secret Mall Apartment, Deciding Vote,Lily Topples The World, The World Before Your Feet, Magical Universe, and Who Is Henry Jaglom? In many of his films, Workman serves as the director, cinematographer, and editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Oppenheim</span> American film director

Lance Oppenheim is an American filmmaker, documentarian, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. His work blends cinematic genres to explore the lives of people who create homes in unconventional spaces and places. His debut feature, Some Kind of Heaven (2020), was an Official Selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Smriti Mundhra is an American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Her production company, Meralta Films, specializes in documentary films and non-fiction content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Pictures</span> American film distribution company

Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers. Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.

References

  1. 1 2 "Milius". USC Cinema Arts. 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  2. "Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #6: Zak Knutson and Joey Figueroa Teach Film History with 'Milius". 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  3. "TV Review: 'Marvel, 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!'". 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  4. "'Shock The World' about Jesse Ventura's surprise rise to Governor at Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival". Miami Herald . 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  5. "Jesse Ventura's path to governor traced in new documentary". 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  6. "Celebrate one of the world's most iconic in 'Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years' on January 19!". 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  7. "Zak Knutson Blames Poor Press Release For Similarities Between Supercon And The Big Con Job". 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  8. "Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson interview: Milius". 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  9. "Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #6: Zak Knutson and Joey Figueroa Teach Film History with 'Milius". 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  10. "Milius interview – Joey Figueroa and Zak Knutson". 2013-11-30. Retrieved 2015-07-23.