about Jon

Jon Gann is an award-winning film producer who has led the production of documentary and narrative films since 2000. His most recent productions include the feature documentaries "Married to the Music" and "Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection," along with a growing series of short documentaries about 20th-century Washington, DC–based artists, including expressionist Jacob Kainen and abstractionists Alma Thomas and Andrew Bucci.

A force in the film festival world, Jon has created, consulted with, and fostered dozens of events around the globe. He is the founder of the DC Shorts Film Festival, one of the country's premier short film showcases, and was a founding board member and Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, the first organization to professionalize the festival industry.

His books, blogs, and podcasts are staples for filmmakers and event organizers alike. The Frankly Festivals podcast tackles timely topics for film festival organizers. His book "Behind the Screens: Programmers Reveal How Film Festivals Really Work" examines how programmers and organizers curate, collect, watch, and select films for their festivals. His follow-up, "So You Wanna Start a Film Festival," explores the trials and tribulations of launching a new event, with lessons drawn from both for-profit and non-profit festivals.

Jon is also the unintentional creator of myriad communities. He founded DC Drop-In Mahjongg, the largest mahjongg group in the DMV, where he teaches over two dozen new players a week. He has also written musicals and game shows produced by Landless Theater and the Capital Fringe Festival.

Jon is known for his advocacy of short films and his efforts to promote and support independent filmmakers. He has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the industry, including annual recognition as an Artist Fellow by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He has presented at more than 120 universities, film organizations, and festivals worldwide, including Ind/EX, the International Film Festival Summit, Art House Convergence, and TEDxWDC.

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