Jake Helgren (born November 28, 1981, in

Elgin, Texas Elgin ( ) is a city in Bastrop County in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 9,784 at the 2020 census. Elgin is also known as the Sausage Capital of Texas and the Brick Capital of the Southwest, due to the presence of three operating bri ...

) is an American

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. Helgren studied

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Helgren has twice been nominated for

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their live ...

s: in 2020 for '' Dashing in December'' as Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series and in 2023 for '' A Christmas to Treasure'' in the renamed category Outstanding Film – Streaming or TV. Helgren is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

; About ''Dashing in December'', he said he wrote and directed the film as an

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

romance and a "love letter to the ending" he wanted in ''

Brokeback Mountain ''Brokeback Mountain'' is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by O ...

''.

Selected filmography

* '' A Christmas to Treasure'' (2023) * ''

Christmas on the Menu Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

'' (2020) * '' Dashing in December'' (2020) * ''

Nightmare Nurse ''Nightmare Nurse'' is a 2016 American crime thriller television film directed by Craig Moss. It stars Sarah Butler, Steven Good, Lindsay Hartley, and Traci Lords. The film premiered on March 5, 2016 on Lifetime Television. Plot A young couple ...

'' (2016) * ''

Finding Mr. Wright ''Finding Mr. Wright'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Nancy Criss. It was produced by Matthew Montgomery and Nancy Criss, and written by Jake Helgren. The film stars Matthew Montgomery, Rebekah Kochan, David Moretti, Jason ...

'' (2011)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helgren, Jake 1981 births Living people Filmmakers from Texas American film producers American film directors American male screenwriters People from Elgin, Texas American LGBT screenwriters American LGBT film directors Screenwriters from Texas 21st-century American LGBT people 21st-century American screenwriters Film directors from Texas LGBT people from Texas