Central Pennsylvania may not be the first place someone thinks of when it comes to preparing for a career in the film industry. But 2015 Northumberland Christian School graduate Jordan Hunt said growing up in the Valley is just what has given him a unique edge in his burgeoning film career. Compared to his colleagues, Hunt said, “It’s a very different experience to grow up going to a Christian school in a small town where you graduate with a class of 20.
It’s a different experience to have such strong ties to my faith and to my church family. To know what it’s like to wake up before dawn on a freezing cold Saturday morning in November, put on some camo, and hunker down in the woods waiting for deer to wander by. “Those are experiences that most of the people I work with from LA will never quite understand!” he said.
“It’s become very common to hear that Hollywood is out of touch with the rest of the country, and in some ways that’s true. It’s that down home, country road sensibility that I keep coming back to, that keeps me grounded, gives me perspective and makes my story worth telling.” The 26-year-old Selinsgrove native earned a degree in cinematic arts from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he directed a short film, "Cries from the Ground," set around the experience of soldiers on the front lines in the Civil War.
The film won awards for Best Picture, Best Sound Design, and Best Production Design at the Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts Showcase in 2019. He then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he has spent the last five years working on a variety of projects, including reality television, prestige mini-series, and feature films. His recent credits include Showtime’s "The First Lady," FX’s "Kindred," Disney’s "Descendants: The Rise of Red," and most recently, he has worked on the Kendrick Brother’s film, "The Forge," which premiers in theaters on Friday.
While on the surface, Hunt’s life might seem glamorous, he said life in the industry is “a whirlwind” that often requires bouncing around from job to job, weeks at a time, and long hours on set, just to make ends meet. To move up in his career, he chose to move to Atlanta, 12 hours from family, and for a while filled in as a background extra and as an Uber driver, to scrape together a living. He said he is grateful for the training he has had and relationships he’s been able to build, however, allowing him to get where he is today.
An acquaintance told him about an opportunity to work on a major television show, a position meant to be for a week but turned into an entire season. However, not everything has been smooth sailing like that, he said. For example, the COVID shutdowns put the film industry on hold for six months, and for the past year, labor disputes and strikes have impeded work as well The career is “not for the faint of heart!” he said.
Most of Hunt’s experience has been in the production and decoration departments, working as an office production assistant, production secretary, travel coordinator, assistant production coordinator, and production coordinator. Hunt not only credits his small-town upbringing for providing him with a unique creative perspective, he believes much of his success is due to his family and community that taught him to love God and people. In addition, being the son of a pastor at a small church and a Christian schoolteacher, he learned the beauty of a life of service to others, as well as how to tell a good story and how stories can be used to connect with people at deep levels.
“I was surrounded by stories growing up,” Hunt said. “Stories from the Bible, stories from history, stories from literature, even my father’s personal anecdotes from the pulpit on a Sunday morning. I fell in love with stories first, and then realized that film was an amazing way to communicate powerful, emotional stories and decided to pursue that as a career.
” Hunt is the oldest son of Darrin and Chris Hunt, of Selinsgrove. Hunt’s father, Darrin, has served in pastoral ministry for about 26 years — all of Hunt’s life — including the last 10 years at Amazing Grace Community Church in Northumberland. “Jordan is very driven by his goals,” Darrin Hunt said.
“When we look back, when he was growing up, he would be setting up puppet shows and putting dramas together." He said Hunt also was always very involved in music and worship, and even put together a roving worship team while on the Liberty University campus. “He’s always been kind of a pioneer of sorts.
He does everything with excellence. “We are very proud of what he’s doing and what he’s pursuing. He’s been working hard and proving himself, and being stretched in many ways.
He’s been up to the task in every single opportunity he’s been given,” Darrin Hunt said. Jordan Hunt said he knows he is blessed to be where he is today, though he said he has several writing projects he has been working on, including some short films, a feature and television series, and would someday like to bring them to life, maybe even produce. “That might be a decade or two away,” he said, “but I keep working, keep gaining experience and making connections, and I trust the rest to God.
He’s put me where I’m at and will continue to guide me in the future.” Life in the film industry is often about being willing to go wherever you can find a job, and making connections. Jordan Hunt admits that sometimes he had to accept jobs on productions that didn’t always align perfectly with his Christian values, in order to get a paycheck and keep making his mark in the film community.
Even in those times, however, he said he saw opportunities to reflect the love of Christ to the cast and crew that he worked with each day. But when he does get the chance to work on something that he says is “truly uplifting and represents my values,” he said he jumps at the opportunity. He said "The Forge" has been one of the favorite films he’s been able to work on.
“I really enjoyed getting to work with the Kendrick brothers, their entire family and their staff,” he said, adding that he was also able to work alongside some of his favorite producers. “And of course, it always feels good to work on a project that you truly believe in and that you know will have a positive impact on the people that watch it,” he said. While he didn’t want to give too much away about the film, he said its major theme is about discipleship.
“I really hope it lights a fire that spreads through the Church and starts to call people back towards Biblical discipleship,” he said, “training up the next generation on what it means to truly be a disciple.” Jordan Hunt was recently a speaker at the Christian Worldview Film Festival, and is currently in Utah working on a television series, "The Promised Land." For more information about Hunt and his many projects, visit https://www.
imdb.com/name/nm9104545.
