Biography

Andrea "Jako" Giacomini, professionally known as VONJAKO, is an American award-winning director, filmmaker, photographer, editor, and creative content producer based in Los Angeles. Originally from the small Italian town of Ascoli Piceno, he moved to the United States to study music and pursue a career in the industry-while never letting go of his lifelong passion for photography. His talent for visual storytelling quickly drew attention, leading to his first professional assignment from an editor at the Los Angeles Times. This opportunity evolved into a full-time photojournalism position at the California State University, Los Angeles newspaper and eventually opened the door to a career in fashion and brand photography. He went on to work with Skechers and its affiliated brands, including 310 Motoring and Michelle K. VONJAKO soon expanded into filmmaking, merging his passions for music and photography. He has directed and produced music videos for a wide range of international artists, including Eric Benet, Fatboy Slim, Gnarls Barkley, as well as Italian and Latin music stars such as Eros Ramazzotti, Vasco Rossi, Tiziano Ferro, Fabri Fibra, and Jovanotti. His work has been featured at leading festivals including SXSW, AFI Fest, the Cannes Shorts Festival, and the Los Angeles Film Festival. In addition to music videos, he has created commercials and branded content for top-tier global brands such as Levi's, Prada, Mia Mia, the NBA, Honda, Yamaha, Lincoln, Nissan, Fiat/Chrysler, Adidas, Converse, AT&T, and Doritos. His multimedia project More Than Words won the AFI + Levi's "Show Us The Way" competition and received the FutureCity Yokohama Award for Best Short Film at the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo. In 2017, he launched The Art of Shade, a long-term photographic project focused on documenting street art portrait murals across Los Angeles and around the world. Over the course of seven years, he developed a distinctive visual approach to capturing these impermanent works, building a substantial archive now being assembled into his first photography book. In 2018, he directed Made To Drive, a documentary series for the internationally acclaimed Petrolicious YouTube channel. The series, which profiles passionate car owners and their vehicles, attracted millions of viewers and received widespread acclaim. In 2019-2020, he directed The Soul Within, a documentary collaboration with Porsche for Amazon Prime, which earned the 2021 Telly Award for Best Unscripted Documentary Series. His music video VALERINE received awards at the ARPA Film Festival 2022 and CineGear 2023. In 2024, he was selected to be part of Projecting LA, a prestigious exhibition showcasing 32 of the world's most renowned photographers who have captured the spirit of Los Angeles. The group included celebrated names such as Estevan Oriol, Julia Dean, and Jeff Bridges. In 2025, his music video "Mai Più" for the band Bloom was nominated for Best International Music Video at the Hollywood Music Video Awards (HMVAs).
- IMDb mini biography by: Jeff Antebi