Jill Sprecher

A graduate from University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in philosophy and literature, Sprecher relocated to New York to study film. In addition to being a director, she has worked as a coordinator, production manager and line producer on both studio and independent features, often to pay the bills for her own film efforts. She studied film directing with Robert Wise and, prior to making her directorial debut with Clockwatchers (1997), she studied improvisational technique in Manhattan. For five years she served as a judge for CableACE Awards. Clockwatchers debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to screen at over a dozen international festivals. It won a Best Film prize at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema of 1997. Next up was Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, (executive produced by Michael Stipe) a film that received more attention and critical acclaim, but reportedly put Jill $150,000 into personal debt to finance it.