Seanne Winslow, David Jacobson, and Adam Sjoberg make up REQUIRED READING, a collective of independent filmmakers who often collaborate on creative projects.
Seanne Winslow
DIRECTOR | WRITER | PRODUCER
Seanne Winslow is a writer, director, producer. Born to American parents, Seanne grew up in Germany and spent time in England, Israel, and the Middle East. Her unique ability to tell stories that entertain, delight, and inspire global audiences is evident throughout her work as a writer, director, and producer.
After writing and directing her award-winning feature directorial debut THE FALCONER with Adam Sjoberg, Seanne joined forces with Baobab and Eric Darnell (MADAGASCAR) to develop “The Witchverse” for Disney+, which explores and upends common misconceptions about global witch mythology from different cultures. Seanne is writing and co-producing. She recently finished a re-write of the thriller, NOWHERE (Netflix), which garnered the movie a green light. She is developing ILONA, a film inspired by her childhood in a German castle and produced by Tore Schmidt and Benjamin Munz. She is also attached to direct THE EXTREMES, an adrenaline-packed action movie, produced by Brian Brightly and Aaron Weiderspahn.
As a producer and creative executive at Rideback Ranch (formerly Lin Pictures), Seanne built her career creating a highly sought-after culture that supports extraordinary storytelling. As a result, she was instrumental in two major franchises that have grossed over $2 billion worldwide including THE LEGO MOVIE starring Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman and SHERLOCK HOLMES starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.
In 2015, Seanne left Rideback Ranch to start the production company Required Reading, where she produced Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo and Yeezy Season 3” fashion event in Madison Square Garden; “Monster” a five-part documentary series for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage; and Executive Produced the critically acclaimed documentary “I Am Sun Mu.”
Seanne studied writing and directing at USC Film School.
David Jacobson
LEAD PRODUCER
David Jacobson is a Film & TV producer with a background in the Studio system working for iconic producer Laura Ziskin (“Pretty Woman”, “What About Bob?”, “As Good as it Gets”, the “Spider-Man” franchise, etc.), Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), and with top Filmmakers including Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, Lee Daniels, Aisha Tyler, and Jonas Akerlund.
He is currently producing the definitive documentary about the desegregation of Alabama Football under legendary Coach Bear Bryant with director Jimmy Jenkins; Prior to that he co-produced “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”, helping structure & raise over $30-Million in six months, and producing on-set throughout principal photography through delivery.
He has produced feature length documentaries, including “Shake the Dust” and “I Am Sun Mu” which sold to Netflix and he produced Kanye’s first of its kind fashion-show/album release/and performance art event at Madison Square Garden featuring the premiere of his album Life of Pablo and release of the “Yeezy Season 3” fashion line.
While running development at Dave Stewart Entertainment, David helped develop & set-up the music competition format, “Songland”, which ran for two seasons on NBC. Prior to that, David was based on the Sony Pictures studio lot while serving as Director of Development
at Laura Ziskin Productions where he supported an A-list slate of film and television projects including the development of “Malibu Country”, starring Reba McEntire & created by Dave Stewart, which sold to ABC and made it to air. Prior to serving as an executive, he worked as Laura Ziskin’s assistant alongside the producers on “The Amazing Spider-Man”, directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone.
Adam Sjoberg
DIRECTOR | WRITER | PRODUCER
Adam’s work spans dozens of countries and a wide variety of subject matter, often bridging the gap between popular culture and pressing global issues.
His first film, “Shake the Dust,” a collaboration with rap superstar Nas, documents the lives and skills of breakdancing street kids from Yemen, Colombia, Uganda, and Cambodia. Adam used this project as a platform and training ground for what would become a lifelong pursuit: ethical storytelling.
“I Am Sun Mu,” his second feature film, was an indy festival and media hit. It follows a North Korean dissident-turned-artist as he prepares for a harrowing art exhibition in China under the watchful shadow of the Chinese and North Korean governments.
In 2016 he and three partners produced Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo” and “Yeezy Season 3” fashion event in Madison Square Garden — the largest fashion show of all time, and in 2019 he produced a five-part short film series for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage titled Monster. His most recent release is the global podcast hit titled “The Messenger,” produced for Awfully Nice in collaboration with J. Cole’s Dreamville Studios.
Adam’s commercial directing and editing work have taken him to more than fifty countries and include clients like Mini Cooper, Warby Parker, Spotify, Starbucks, Bank of America, Belvedeer, Comcast, Habitat for Humanity, (RED), and BOSE.
His first narrative feature film, “The Falconer,” is a stranger-than-fiction story Adam discovered in Yemen in 201l, co-directed with Seanne Winslow. “Songs of a Lost Island,” his forthcoming feature film, is filled with jaw-dropping footage shot over ten years traveling to American Samoa with NFL Pro Hall-of-famer Troy Polamalu.
He is based in Lisbon, Portugal and Los Angeles, California.