Jason Chaet is a multi-award winning filmmaker, theatre director, producer, editor, and acting teacher based in New York City. He started his career at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, where he collaborated with renowned off-Broadway icon Curt Dempster.
During his time at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, Chaet developed the new work of numerous playwrights, including notable collaborations with David Mamet and Arthur Miller. He also served as assistant director on Mamet's critically-acclaimed production "No One Will Be Immune: Five Pieces for Theater" and Miller's "Elegy for a Lady". Additionally, he ran the Artistic Director's Lab at the Ensemble Studio Theatre summer conference for two seasons.
Chaet created and directed the HBO/USCAF production "Off the Page" and has an extensive list of theatre directing credits in NYC and around the country. He also founded and served as the artistic director of Stage One, an Off-Off Broadway theatre company that specialized in producing new and under-performed one-act plays.
Chaet transitioned into independent film by directing the N.Y. and L.A. workshops and serving as creative consultant on the award-winning independent film "Kissing Jessica Stein", which was distributed by Fox Searchlight. His feature film "Putzel" (starring Jack Carpenter, Melanie Lynskey, Susie Essman, and John Pankow) won multiple awards, appeared in over fifty film festivals worldwide, and was distributed internationally by Filmbuff.
Other notable film and television credits include "Remember" (produced in association with the Puerto Rican film commission) and "Avenues" (TV Pilot). He also co-created, directed, produced, and edited the short socio-political web series "Just Words".
Chaet's most recent feature film "Seneca", which he directed, co-wrote (with longtime collaborator Armando Riesco),edited, and produced, premiered at the HBO NY Latino Film Festival in August 2019 and won a Special Jury Prize. The film went on to play at numerous film festivals across the country, winning multiple awards, including the prestigious Ultra Indie Feature Prize at the Woodstock Film Festival and Best Picture and Best Director at the Phoenix Film Festival. The film stars Armando Riesco, Susan Misner, Shirley Rumierk, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Tony Plana. Shot on location in New York City and Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, "Seneca" ran exclusively on HBO and HBO Max for two years before becoming available for rental or purchase on all major platforms.
Chaet is currently developing several feature films, including "Meri Crismas" (co-writer, producer, and director),"Sifu" (director and story development),and "I Ruin Everything" (co-writer and director).
In addition to his filmmaking and theatre work, Chaet is a proud member of the acting faculty at AMDA (American Musical Dramatic Academy) in New York City, where he has served as Supervisor of First Semester Acting and Chair of the Camera Division and Head of the Camera Program.
