Jessie Nelson

Jessie struck a chord in the hearts of moviegoers with her directorial debut Corrina, Corrina starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta.

She followed by co-writing the 1998 box office hit Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon, and went on to co-write and produce The Story Of Us, starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Her next project was to direct Sean Penn in the acclaimed I Am Sam but it wasn't always writing and directing that attracted the filmmaker.

Jessie started her career as a stage actress in New York and soon found herself on the way to LA with Columbia Pictures' talent development program.

She went on to act in numerous films, such as So I Married An Axe Murderer with Mike Myers, and TV series, including a guest appearance on ER, before making the decision to write.

Drawing on her stage experience, including collaborations with an award-winning experimental theatre group, Jessie co-wrote her first screenplay (about her time as a waitress) which she sold to Disney Studios.

Surprised by the lack of control writers have over their material, she set out to learn how to direct and soon made the documentary My First Time, which led to her acceptance into the prestigious Chanticleer filmmaking course.

It was here that Jessie directed the award-winning film To The Moon Alice, and she has never looked back since.