Jack Kohler

Jack Kohler is a Yurok, Karuk, and Hupa Indian. His roots are through the Hoopa Valley Reservation from Northern California. His grandmother was relocated in the 1950s to San Francisco when his father was three years old. He subsequently grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, graduating from Stanford University with an Engineering degree.

At Stanford, he became involved with drama clubs and caught the acting bug. After graduation, he started his own construction company and continued acting. He went on to become a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and the Actor’s Equity Association. His connections as an actor led him to become a producer and a filmmaker.

Jack has produced PSA’s for television and many short films for Native American film festivals. He works during the summer as an instructor for the American Indian Film Institute, teaching youth on Indian reservations the art of filmmaking. Currently Jack is the Executive Producer of River of Renewal, which is in post-production and being funded by Native American Public Telecommunications. His last NAPT-funded short was aired on PBS in November 2002.