Australian born Jamie Blanks was inspired by the horror films of John Carpenter, whom he sees as his mentor.
He graduated from film school at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia, with a solid collection of short films and music videos in his portfolio.
Soon after his graduating short film, Silent Number, won individual awards for editing, photography and sound, Blanks was signed by Simon Miller of Propaganda Management, who saw the film while in Australia on a talent search.
Following film school, Blanks worked as a commercial director and film editor.
In 1993 he was given the chance to work on a short action film, The Huntsman as the cameraman and composer.
Five years later, he was given the chance to direct his own first feature film, Urban Legend (1998). The horror, starring Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson and Tara Reid was a success at box offices around the world, giving Blanks all the confidence and reputation a successful director needs.
He started off the new millennium off with his second horror feature, Valentine (2001).
Filmography:
Valentine (2001)
Urban Legend (1998)