Biography

A mere few minutes spent with him on a set and it's obvious where J.D. Cochran is most in his element. But growing up in a blue collar, biracial household in Long Beach, California, J.D. didn't imagine a career in the film industry would be an option available to him. In fact when he decided to "give college a try," he thought music production could be the career he'd go after, having spent many high school nights deejaying parties and dancing at clubs. Still, his fate was sealed after discovering the School of Cinema Television at the University of Southern California. He directed a number of films and an award-winning play before graduating with emphasis in both Theatre Arts and Cinema along with a passion for storytelling through film.

His study of story structure and technique was enhanced when, after USC, J.D. worked as part of a team at Screenplay Systems, Inc focusing on the story development software, Dramatica. During that time he made use of his unique perspective on both black and white culture in America while writing and developing TV and feature stories and screenplays. He also applied that knowledge in practice through directing, shooting and editing various independent projects from music videos, short and feature films, PSAs and spec commercials. His most recent projects were two well-received short films selected for many film festivals, "The Right Man For The Job (2001)," and "A Fight For Glory (2002)." In addition, J.D. was cinematographer, editor and co-producer on the direct-to-video feature film "Soul Talkin'." In 2004, he decided to put all other pursuits on the back-burner to focus completely on his feature film directing debut. "Paved With Good Intentions," which he co-wrote, is currently in post-production, and J.D. has high aspirations for a positive festival run in 2006.

- IMDb mini biography by: Katy Monahan Huntley