Jason Wise (director)
Jason Wise is an American filmmaker known for his wine documentaries (SOMM, SOMM: Into the Bottle, SOMM 3),[1] Wait For Your Laugh featuring Rose Marie,[2] The Delicacy[3] about sea urchin divers, and the streaming service SOMM TV.[4]
Early life and education
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Jason attended film school at Chapman University in Orange, California.
Career
His senior thesis film, “90,” played on the international film festival circuit and after Hurricane Katrina, he was hired to document the efforts of Cisco Systems as they rebuilt Gulf Coast schools. In 2011, Jason was the director and show runner for the PBS series ESCAPESEEKER for two seasons.
His first documentary SOMM, released in 2012, followed four candidates for the Master Sommelier exam, “the hardest test you’ve never heard of.” [5]
He followed SOMM with SOMM: Into the Bottle in 2015[6] and SOMM 3 in 2018.[7] In 2017, he took a break from the wine world and turned his attention to the storied career of Rose Marie with Wait for Your Laugh.
Jason's latest film, The Delicacy, about sea urchin divers in Santa Barbara premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in January 2020.[8]
The fourth SOMM film, Cup of Salvation, is currently in production.[9]
In 2019, he launched a food and wine streaming service [10] called SOMM TV.
His production company is called Forgotten Man Films.
Personal life
Jason is married to writer/producer Christina Wise. They have two children.
Filmography
- SOMM (director)
- SOMM: Into the Bottle (director)
- SOMM 3 (director)
- Wait For Your Laugh (director)
- The Delicacy (director)
- Escapeseeker 13 episodes 2011-2012 (director)
- Uncorked 6 episodes 2015 (executive producer)
Awards and honors
In 2015, Jason was named one of the “40 Most Influential” people in the world of beverages under the age of forty by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.[11]
SOMM won the Audience Award for Best Documentary [12] at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival[13] and the Politiken's Audience Award.[14]
Wait for Your Laugh was awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.[15]
In 2019, Jason was awarded Documentarian of the Year at the Kodak Awards.[16]
References
- "'Somm 3': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- Battaglio, Stephen. "Rose Marie documentary 'Wait for Your Laugh' heading to television". latimes.com. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- https://sbiff.org/the-delicacy/
- https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/food-and-drink-streaming-service-sommtv-launched-425796//
- Chang, Justin (2013-06-21). "Film Review: 'Somm'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- Carson, L. Pierce. "World premiere of 'Somm' sequel a hit at film festival". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "SOMM 3 Preview: An Interview with Director Jason Wise". Robert Parker. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/santa-barbara-film-festival-and-more
- https://www.independent.com/2020/01/22/unis-big-screen-debut/
- https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/sommtv-streaming-wine-app/
- "SOMM: INTO THE BOTTLE TO WORLD PREMIERE AS OPENING NIGHT FILM AT THE 2015 NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL | Dep Lifestyle Magazine". Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- "Seattle International Film Festival (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "CPH:DOX (2013)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (2017)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- https://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/press_center/3rd_annual_kodak_film_awards/default.htm