J. Rupert Thompson has had a camera in his hand since he was eleven years old. An evergreen fan of the action and science fiction genres, he made dozens of shorts as a child on Super8 film.

Rupert graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College School of Cinema and Photography and moved immediately to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. He started as an electrician on big budget horror movies such as Nightmare on Elm Street and the Blob, quickly gaining experience in lighting for camera.

For years, Rupert was MTV’s “go-to” director/cameraman for their early VJ shows starring Kevin Seal, Adam Curry, Downtown Julie Brown and Just Say Julie as well as MTV News with Kurt Loder. He also shot the 2nd season of the Real Word in Venice, CA.

Rupert partnered for ten years with Douglas Ross and Greg Stewart at Evolution Media, producing successful non-fiction programming such as “Bug Juice” for Disney Channel and “Big Brother” for CBS. In 2003, Rupert returned to the freelance world to pursue his greatest love – directing. His credits to date include seven seasons of the wildly successful Fear Factor, seven seasons of the hit show Wipeout, and other reality shows such as America’s Next Top Model, Kid Nation, Stars Earn Stripes, Guy’s Grocery Games, American Gladiators and Battle of the Network Stars.

Rupert has created a niche for himself few others share: live-to-tape coverage of enormous stunts and challenges using multiple cameras for maximum dramatic effect and efficiency. He also draws from his years of experience as a producer to be an effective leader and contributor in Pre and Post-Production.

Rupert lives with his wife and son in Pasadena, California.