Jessy Cale Williamson

Jessy Cale Williamson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and grew up on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. His passion for film and photography was evident at an early age and he started shooting his first videos at the age of twelve. After graduating from Covington High School, he started working in the restaurant business where he quickly moved up the ranks and became a chef. After several years of traveling and cooking, Bridgette Raimer, his wife, convinced him to focus his energy on academia and he eventually graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University on the Dean's List for academic excellence. In 2007, while New Orleans was turning into Hollywood South, Williamson saw an opportunity and after fifteen years in the restaurant industry he decided to change careers. With the help of his life long friend Autumn Boh and his cousin Aeron McKeough, he was snuck onto the set of an independent comedy and given a job in the camera department. Hard work and a hands on approach led him to working in multiple departments on many films including: Secretariat, Green Lantern, 21 Jump Street, Jake's Road and the television shows Imagination Movers, Sons of Guns and Samantha Brown's Great Weekends. His directorial debut, A Warehouse on Tchoupitoulas, had it's world premiere to a sold out crowd at the 2013 New Orleans film festival as well as being accepted into the Pontchartrain film fest, Asheville Cinema fest and the Cinema on the Bayou film fest. His second film, Seventeen Summers, was a top 20 selection at the Louisiana Film Prize and was accepted into several other festivals.