Jen McGowan began her career as a filmmaker when she received her BFA from
NYU’s
Tisch School of the Arts. There she studied film and trained as an actor at the
Atlantic Theater Company with
David Mamet,
William H. Macy, and
Sam Shepard. During this period, McGowan worked with New York companies such as RSA/Black Dog, A Band Apart,
Killer Films, and Propaganda. She worked on independent feature films, including the
Oscar-winning ''
Boys Don't Cry''. McGowan received a grant from The Caucus Foundation for her thesis film,
Confessions of a Late Bloomer, which began its festival run at the
Tribeca Film Festival. McGowan then directed the short film
Touch, which won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the 2010
Florida Film Festival, qualifying that film for Oscar Nomination. McGowan began development on
Kelly & Cal, her feature directorial debut, through the First Team project at
USC, which fostered projects for their alumni. Her second feature film,
Rust Creek, was distributed by
IFC Midnight.She has directed episodes of television for shows such as
The Twilight Zone,
Star Trek: Discovery and
Titans. She is an Icon member of the
Alliance of Women Directors, a member of the Los Angeles chapter of
Film Fatales, a Film Independent Fellow, and a member of the Television Academy. McGowan is a Co-Chair of the DGA Women's Steering Committee Squad Program dedicated to supporting mid-career DGA Women Directors.[https://deadline.com/2022/10/dga-womens-mentorship-program-1235141964/ ==
Kelly & Cal==