Jack Layer

Known for his work as a camera assistant and 2nd unit operator on music videos and short films, both in North Carolina and New York City, Jack is gaining recognition for his work as a Steadicam Operator in Western North Carolina. Born in Buffalo, New York in June of 1998, Jack relocated to Cary, North Carolina before beginning his interest in film and photography in high school, later being accepted into the University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking in 2016. At UNCSA, Jack studied editing and directing, in addition to taking a concentration in cinematography under the instruction of Janice Arthur, from whom he learned the details of camera assisting and was first introduced to the art of Steadicam Operating. Upon meeting and working with the NYU-based crew of Dirty Blonde (2019), Jack made the decision to leave UNCSA to pursue a full-time career in New York City. In the summer of 2018, he began working with Cinematographers Isabella Tan and Jake Horgan, as well as Steadicam Operator Calvin Falk, who would later become his mentor in Steadicam Operating. Since that decision, Jack has worked as a 2nd Assistant Cameraman on commercials, music videos (including Beastcoast's Distance), and on the feature film Souvenirs (2020), produced by StudioFest and directed by Anna Mikami. As of 2019, Jack operates for music videos, narrative shorts, and looks forward to his first feature film as Steadicam Operator in the coming year, while continuing to direct, produce, and edit his own films.