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Speaker NO. 3

The Art of Film Making

with Jonathan Baker '78

April 14, 2021, 7:00 p.m. EST

Please join Jonathan Baker '78, alumnus and accomplished filmmaker, as he discusses his nonlinear path from Rectory to Hollywood. As the founder of Baker Entertainment Group, Jonathan will discuss graduating film school during the writers' guild strike, pursuing his dream of working in the entertainment industry, and his most commercially successful film Inconceivable.

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Professional Bio

Jonathan Baker ‘78 is a director, writer, producer, entrepreneur, and adventurer who has always been enthralled by smart storytelling and larger-than-life figures. While growing up in Manhattan, NY in the 1960s, Baker became captivated by the movies, living vicariously through characters played by idols Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen. In 1985, he launched Baker Entertainment Group, a multimedia development and production company housed at Paramount Studios Lot. Baker Entertainment Group is a unique production company that provides a form of entertainment known as "intertainment", which is a 360-degree insight of the production process of filmmaking.

Baker’s directorial debut, Inconceivable, was released by Lionsgate in June 2017, and is a $15 million dramatic thriller set in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has worked on a multitude of projects such as Through Scavullo’s Eyes, a Warner Bros. documentary on controversial fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo; Dorf on Golf, a sports spoof with Tim Conway; and Dirty Tennis, a comedy that aired on HBO and Cinemax, winning the VSDA and the New York Film Festival Award for Best Comedy Video of the Year.

In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Baker founded SkinSpa, a full-service day spa, as well as a beauty line called Jonathan Baker EST 1962. When not managing his many successful business ventures, Baker is a skilled poker player who has been featured on several televised poker programs. He is a man of many talents, indeed.

Rectory Bio

Jonathan Baker ‘78 attended Rectory School from grades 5-7. He dabbled in all sports across the board playing lacrosse, hockey, soccer, baseball, and wrestling. John Green, the Headmaster at the time, described Baker as “an interesting, sensitive, and thoroughly likable youngster.” This common thread of trying everything and forming friendships along the way has led Baker to achieve extraordinary success throughout his personal life and professional career.