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Jon L. Wanzek
Born (1964-05-10) May 10, 1964 (age 60)
Medina, North Dakota, U.S.
EducationBS, civil engineering
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
OccupationFilm producer
Known forBad Medicine Films
Producer of Valley of Bones
Websitejonwanzek.com

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.[1][3]

Early career

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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.[4][5]

Business enterprises

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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),[1] real estate acquisition including the Meadowlark Building in downtown Fargo,[8][9][10] and movie production (Bad Medicine Films).[1]

Film career

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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.[1][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.[1] Most of the film was shot on Wanzek's Pitchfork Ranch property near Amidon, North Dakota.[12][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

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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,[20] Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.[22][23]

Filmography

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Year Title Producer Executive
Producer 		Synopsis Reference
2015 Ten Thousand Saints No Yes Jude is a teenage boy who is trying to reconnect with his father Les in 1987 Manhattan. [24]
2016 Pilgrim No Yes Takes place in a lawless time where magic is believed to exist by an idealistic few. [25][26]
2017 Valley of Bones Yes Yes A paleontologist struggling to raise her son is tipped off to a dig site in the Badlands. [27]
2019 Human Capital No Yes The 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. [19][28]

References

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