Jon L. Wanzek Explained

Jon L. Wanzek
Birth Date:10 May 1964
Birth Place:Medina, North Dakota, U.S.
Education:BS, civil engineering
Alma Mater:University of Minnesota
Occupation:Film producer
Known For:Bad Medicine Films
Producer of Valley of Bones

Jon L. Wanzek (born May 10, 1964) is an American film producer. He currently runs Bad Medicine Films and produced Valley of Bones.[1] [2] He is the former President and Owner of Wanzek Construction.[3]

Early career

Wanzek received a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis in 1986.[4] [5] After various jobs, he returned to his parents company Wanzek Construction, Inc as a project engineer, eventually becoming president and CEO of the family business.

Business enterprises

After the sale of Wanzek Construction, Inc., Wanzek continued entrepreneurial endeavors, including: investments in local businesses such as Bushel (an agricultural technology company) and DogIDs,[6] food safety technology (Napasol North America),[7] ranching (Pitchfork Ranch LLC), real estate acquisition including the Meadowlark Building in downtown Fargo,[8] [9] [10] and movie production (Bad Medicine Films).

Film career

A North Dakota-based, independent film production company, Bad Medicine Films was established by Wanzek in 2012 and is named after his cabin and lake property on Bad Medicine Lake in Minnesota.[11] [12] His first project was in 2015 when Wanzek was the Executive Producer on the movie Ten Thousand Saints, a film based on a novel by Eleanor Henderson.[13] The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.[14] That same year, Wanzek produced and developed a script for Valley of Bones, his first full independent feature film. Most of the film was shot on Wanzek's Pitchfork Ranch property near Amidon, North Dakota.[15] Valley of Bones was distributed by Smith Global Media/Sony Pictures and released across the United States in September 2017.[16] [17] [18] In 2019, Wanzek produced Human Capital, a remake of the 2013 Italian film of the same name, which was based on the novel by Stephen Amidon. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 6, 2019.[19]

Philanthropy

Since 2009, Wanzek, through the Wanzek Family Foundation, has supported many charities. Some of the organizations he has supported include the YMCA,[20] Mayo Clinic,[21] Cross Catholic Outreach, Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.[22] [23]

Filmography

YearTitleProducerExecutive
Producer		SynopsisReference
2015Ten Thousand SaintsJude is a teenage boy who is trying to reconnect with his father Les in 1987 Manhattan.[24]
2016PilgrimTakes place in a lawless time where magic is believed to exist by an idealistic few.[25] [26]
2017Valley of BonesA paleontologist struggling to raise her son is tipped off to a dig site in the Badlands.[27]
2019Human CapitalThe lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident. It is a remake of an Italian Film.[28]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: From Construction to Film Production with Jon Wanzek. Jeffers. Kara. Fargo Monthly. February 9, 2018. March 4, 2019. en.
  2. News: Bakken drama by Fargo filmmakers to hit big screen. Haffner. Andrew. inforum. October 26, 2015. January 24, 2019. en.
  3. News: Wanzek Construction of Fargo sold to Florida company. Grand Forks Herald. October 6, 2008. en.
  4. Book: Woodcox, Robert Bruce . 2017. Camp Wilderness, Park Rapids, Minnesota: A Commemorative Legacy and History. Fargo, North Dakota . Northern Lights Council, Boy Scouts of America. 202–203.
  5. Web site: About Jon Wanzek. JonWanzek.com. February 4, 2020.
  6. Web site: Ventures – Jon Wanzek. March 24, 2021. en-US.
  7. Web site: Prairie Business. March 24, 2021. Grand Forks Herald. en.
  8. Web site: July 31, 2015. Artist Spruces Up Fargo's Meadowlark Building. March 24, 2021. KVRR Local News. en-US.
  9. Web site: Pigeon. Kimberly. August 31, 2015. Street Legal: Street Art In Downtown Fargo And Beyond. March 24, 2021. The Arts Partnership. en-US.
  10. Web site: November 13, 2015. A Beginner's Guide to Fargo's Startup Scene. March 24, 2021. Emerging Prairie. en-US.
  11. News: 'Valley of Bones,' a feature film produced in ND, hits the big screens. Lamb. John. West Fargo Pioneer. August 31, 2017. February 4, 2020. en.
  12. News: Film shot in southwest North Dakota wraps production in-state . Haffner. Andrew. The Dickinson Press. October 23, 2015. February 4, 2020. en.
  13. Web site: Ten Thousand Saints Details and Credits. Metacritic. February 4, 2020.
  14. News: 'Ten Thousand Saints' Sells To Screen Media – Sundance. Hipes. Patrick. Deadline. January 30, 2015. February 4, 2020. en.
  15. News: Flesh and 'Bones': ND film hits the big screens. Lamb. John. Grand Forks Herald. September 1, 2017. May 18, 2018. en.
  16. News: L.A. movie openings, Sept. 1. Crust. Kevin. Los Angeles Times. September 1, 2017. May 18, 2018. en.
  17. News: 'Valley Of Bones' Latest To Land At Smith Global Media. Hipes. Patrick. Deadline. September 1, 2017. May 18, 2018. en.
  18. News: ON THE SET: A chat with 'Valley of Bones' lead actress. Bowman County Pioneer. October 15, 2015. October 16, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151016070514/https://www.bowmanextra.com/2015/10/15/on-the-set-a-chat-with-valley-of-bones-lead-actress/. en.
  19. News: Toronto Film Review: 'Human Capital'. Harvey. Dennis. Variety. September 6, 2019. en.
  20. Web site: Grantmakers.io Profile - WANZEK FAMILY FOUNDATION CO JON WANZEK. Grantmakers.io. March 15, 2019.
  21. News: Wanzek Family Foundation donates to fund cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Inforum. March 15, 2019.
  22. News: Wanzek Family Foundation funds Life Skills Center in Medora, ND. Inforum. March 15, 2019.
  23. Web site: WANZEK FAMILY FOUNDATION CO JON WANZEK . May 25, 2022 . Grantmakers.io . en.
  24. Web site: Ten Thousand Saints. IMDb.org. October 30, 2019.
  25. Web site: Another World - A Lawless Time: Pilgrim. Bad Medicine Films. February 4, 2020.
  26. Web site: Pilgrim. IMDb.org. February 4, 2020.
  27. Web site: Valley of Bones. IMDb.org. October 30, 2019.
  28. Web site: Human Capital. IMDb.org. October 30, 2019.

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