Jake Hamilton (born January 18, 1988) is an American entertainment reporter, film critic, and documentary producer. Formerly a teen film critic for the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' he is now the lead Entertainment Anchor for Good Day Chicago. Hamilton was named "one of the nation's top show business journalists" by Forbes. Hamilton is a member of the

Broadcast Film Critics Association The Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), is an association of television, radio and online critics. Their membership includes critics who review film and television. Founded in 1995, it is the ...

Career

Hamilton began his career as a film critic in print at the age of 14, writing for the ''

'' in 2002 while still attending Seabrook Intermediate School. While writing for the ''Chronicle'', Hamilton was criticized for his inclusion of R-rated films in his "Top 10 Films of the Year" lists. He continued with the ''Houston Chronicle'' until he graduated from

Clear Lake High School (Houston, Texas) Clear Lake High School is a public secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States. The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Clear Creek Independent School District. The school serves portions of Houston (includi ...

in 2006. Later in 2006, Hamilton, 18, was brought on as the film critic for the late night talk show, ''The After Party'', hosted by

Ernie Manouse Ernie Manouse (born September 1, 1969, in Binghamton, New York) is an American television host, radio personality, writer and producer. He currently hosts the interview show InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse, produced by HoustonPBS. His work with Hous ...

. The show received positive reviews from both critics and audiences alike, and was nominated for a "Best Entertainment/Variety program" Emmy in its first season. The program ended its run after over 50 episodes on November 15, 2006. After ''The After Party'' ended,

brought on Hamilton to help produce the

HoustonPBS KUHT (channel 8) is a PBS member television station in Houston, Texas, United States. Owned by the University of Houston System, it is sister to NPR member station KUHF (88.7 FM). The two stations share studios and offices in the Melcher Cen ...

documentary, ''The Last 24''. Covering the last 24 hours before the opening of a contemporary dance company's latest production, the documentary was met with critical praise when in aired in August 2007. ''The Last 24'' would eventually garner Hamilton, 20, an Emmy nomination in September 2008. In 2008, Hamilton began hosting the film review segment ''Jake's Takes'' on

KHOU-TV KHOU (channel 11) is a television station in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Conroe, Texas, Conroe-licensed Quest (American TV network), Quest station KTBU (channel 55). Both sta ...

(CBS Houston). Reviewing films, covering international film festivals and interviewing celebrities like

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

, and

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

. ''Jake's Takes'', was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement In Cinema" by the Houston Film Critic Society in 2008 for "bringing celebrities back to Houston." In 2009, Hamilton moved "Jake's Takes" from the local CBS affiliate (KHOU-TV) to the local FOX affiliate (KRIV). In 2012, Hamilton won the Los Angeles Press Club's National Entertainment Journalism Award by for hosting "Jake's Takes." In 2013, Hamilton joined

WFLD-TV WFLD (channel 32) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, airing programming from the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Gary, Indiana–licensed MyNetworkTV o ...

(FOX Chicago) ''Good Day Chicago,'' where he is now the lead Entertainment Anchor. In 2021, he was named "one of the nation's top show business journalists" by Forbes. To date, Hamilton has over 100,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel "Jake's Takes," and has earned ten Emmy nominations for his work—of the ten nominations, he's won two.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Jake 1988 births Living people American film critics American television talk show hosts American columnists Journalists from Houston Houston Chronicle people American male journalists