Jose E. Cruz Jr.

Jose was born & raised on the mean streets of Philly PA, aka, The Badlands. In his formative years, Jose was locked up, escaped, caught, thrown back in, and finally released from jail for selling narcotics. After an ultimatum from a Judge, he enlisted in the Army - turning his life around.

Jose earned a BA in Film & Mass Communication from Temple University. Jose caught the writing and directing bug after a small role appearing in Steve Buscemi's film "Animal Factory". With Steve's advice, Jose wrote/directed his first independent film, Close-Up, which garnered several awards.