Jon L. Wanzek
Jon L. Wanzek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 10, 1964 Medina, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Education | BS, civil engineering |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Known for | Bad Medicine Films Producer of Valley of Bones |
| Website | jonwanzek |
Jon L. Wanzek (born May 10, 1964) is an American film producer. He currently runs Bad Medicine Films and produced Valley of Bones.[1][2] He is the former President and Owner of Wanzek Construction.[1][3]
Business career
[edit]Wanzek received a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis in 1986.[4][5] After various jobs, he returned to his parents company Wanzek Construction, Inc as a project engineer, eventually becoming president and CEO of the family business.[4][5] After the sale of Wanzek Construction, Inc. to MasTec in 2008,[6][7] he has been involved in real estate and ranching.[8][9][10]
Film career
[edit]A North Dakota-based, independent film production company, Bad Medicine Films was established by Wanzek in 2012 and is named after his cabin and lake property on Bad Medicine Lake in Minnesota.[1][11][12] His first project was in 2015 when Wanzek was the Executive Producer on the movie Ten Thousand Saints, a film based on a novel by Eleanor Henderson.[13] The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.[14]
That same year, Wanzek produced and developed a script for Valley of Bones, his first full independent feature film.[1] Most of the film was shot on Wanzek's Pitchfork Ranch property near Amidon, North Dakota.[12][15] Valley of Bones was distributed by Smith Global Media/Sony Pictures and released across the United States in September 2017.[16][17][18]
In 2019, Wanzek produced Human Capital, a remake of the 2013 Italian film of the same name, which was based on the novel by Stephen Amidon. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 6, 2019.[19]
Philanthropy
[edit]Wanzek, through the Wanzek Family Foundation has supported many charities. Organizations supported include the Mayo Clinic,[20] Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation,[21] St. James Basilica,[22] and Boy Scouts of America.[23]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Producer | Executive Producer |
Synopsis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ten Thousand Saints | No | Yes | Jude is a teenage boy who is trying to reconnect with his father Les in 1987 Manhattan. | [24] |
| 2016 | Pilgrim | No | Yes | Takes place in a lawless time where magic is believed to exist by an idealistic few. | [25][26] |
| 2017 | Valley of Bones | Yes | Yes | A paleontologist struggling to raise her son is tipped off to a dig site in the Badlands. | [27] |
| 2019 | Human Capital | No | Yes | The lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident. It is a remake of an Italian Film. | [19][28] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Jeffers, Kara (February 9, 2018). "From Construction to Film Production with Jon Wanzek". Fargo Monthly. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ^ Haffner, Andrew (October 26, 2015). "Bakken drama by Fargo filmmakers to hit big screen". inforum. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ "Wanzek Construction of Fargo sold to Florida company". Grand Forks Herald. October 6, 2008.
- ^ a b Woodcox, Robert Bruce (2017). Camp Wilderness, Park Rapids, Minnesota: A Commemorative Legacy and History. Fargo, North Dakota: Northern Lights Council, Boy Scouts of America. pp. 202–203.
- ^ a b "About Jon Wanzek". JonWanzek.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Meyase, Mary (October 6, 2008). "MasTec to buy Wanzek Construction; Raises 2008 Outlook". Reuters.
- ^ Moss, David (June 10, 2009). "'Mad Money' Spotlight: Cramer's Power Grid". The Street.
- ^ Lamb, John (August 31, 2017). "'Valley of Bones,' a feature film produced in ND, hits the big screens". Inforum.
- ^ Stromstad, Ron (2015). "Touring the Pitchfork Ranch" (PDF). Medora Foundation Rough Riders Review.
- ^ "Ventures – Jon Wanzek". Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ Lamb, John (August 31, 2017). "'Valley of Bones,' a feature film produced in ND, hits the big screens". West Fargo Pioneer. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Haffner, Andrew (October 23, 2015). "Film shot in southwest North Dakota wraps production in-state". The Dickinson Press. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Ten Thousand Saints Details and Credits". Metacritic. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 30, 2015). "'Ten Thousand Saints' Sells To Screen Media – Sundance". Deadline. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Lamb, John (September 1, 2017). "Flesh and 'Bones': ND film hits the big screens". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ Crust, Kevin (September 1, 2017). "L.A. movie openings, Sept. 1". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 1, 2017). "'Valley Of Bones' Latest To Land At Smith Global Media". Deadline. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ "ON THE SET: A chat with 'Valley of Bones' lead actress". Bowman County Pioneer. October 15, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (September 6, 2019). "Toronto Film Review: 'Human Capital'". Variety.
- ^ "Wanzek Family Foundation donates to fund cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN". Inforum. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Wanzek Family Foundation funds Life Skills Center in Medora, ND". Inforum. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ "Fargo Donor Helps Restore Glass at Jamestown Church". Inforum. January 12, 2013.
- ^ "Northern Lights Boy Scouts plan new center in south Fargo". Grand Forks Herald. November 19, 2010.
- ^ "Ten Thousand Saints". IMDb.org. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Another World - A Lawless Time: Pilgrim". Bad Medicine Films. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Pilgrim". IMDb.org. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Valley of Bones". IMDb.org. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Human Capital". IMDb.org. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Jon Wanzek on JonWanzek.com
- Jon L. Wanzek at IMDb