Jake Schreier
Jacob Stacey Schreier (born 1981) is an American director. He was a founding member of Waverly Films, a Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective, and joined Park Pictures in 2006, releasing his first feature film Robot & Frank in 2012. In 2015, he released Paper Towns, an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by John Green, and directed the 2025 Marvel Studios superhero film Thunderbolts*.
Early life
Born in Berkeley, California, Jake Schreier attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, he directed music videos, including one for Francis and the Lights, a performer/songwriter with whom Schreier also played keyboard for several years. He also directed commercials for products such as Absolut Vodka and Verizon phones. Together with his friends from college, he co-founded the film collective Waverly Films and continued to collaborate on film projects for television and the web.
Film career
In 2006, Schreier signed with Park Pictures, a commercial and film production company, and worked on a number of advertising campaigns and commercials; he was noted for his work and appeared in the “Best New Directors” list of Creativity Magazine and other advertising industry magazines. In 2012, he released his first feature film, Robot & Frank, based on the screenplay by his Tisch classmate and friend Christopher Ford. The film won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, for best feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, tying with the Kashmiri film Valley of Saints. Robot & Frank earned Schreier critical acclaim for his feature directorial debut. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan called it "exceptionally polished for a first-time effort", and Rolling Stone gave it three out of four stars. He also directed the film adaptation of the John Green book, Paper Towns, which was released on July 24, 2015.
In 2021, frequent collaborator Chance the Rapper released Magnificent Coloring World, a concert film made from special performance footage Schrier directed in 2016. An international distribution agreement with AMC Theatres and Park Pictures for the film was made, marking the first time an individual recording artist has distributed a film exclusively through AMC.
In June 2022, Schreier was hired to direct the Marvel Studios superhero Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thunderbolts*.
Filmography
Film
Director
- Robot & Frank (2012)
- Paper Towns (2015)
- Thunderbolts* (2025)
Associate producer
- Natural Selection (2011)
- Magic Valley (2011)
- First Winter (2012)
Concert film