Jesse Peretz

Jesse Peretz, a former bass player for the Lemonheads, began his directing career by shooting music videos.  He co-created and directed the “Jimmy The Cab Driver” comedy spots for MTV in the mid-nineties.  He has directed numerous music videos for such bands as the Foo Fighters and Teenage Fan Club and for actors like Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black.  He won a Grammy award in 2001 for the Foo Fighter’s “Learn to Fly” music video.  He has directed hundreds of commercials for companies like Toyota, Nike, Ikea, Taco Bell, and the Gap.

His first feature film, “First Love, Last Rites,” is an adaptation of the Ian McEwan short story for which he won a Fipresci Prize.  His second feature, “The Chateau,” a comedic story about two brothers traveling to France to claim the chateau they inherited, starred Paul Rudd and Romany Malco.  Jesse’s third feature film, “The Ex,” is a comedy starring Zack Braff, Jason Bateman, and Charles Grodin.  He recently wrapped “My Idiot Brother”, a comedy centered on an idealist who barges into the lives of his three sisters, starring Paul Rudd and Zooey Deschanel.  Jesse also directs television, most recently, the Comedy Central show, “Important Things with Demetri Martin.”