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Jack Kohler
Executive Director at On Native Ground
Jack Kohler is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe.14 He is the Executive Director of the non-profit media organization 'On Native Ground'.12 He has also been the Media Coordinator and media instructor for the United Auburn Indian Community.145 Before that, he worked for the American Indian Film Institute, mentoring students on reservations and rancherias on how to make films.14 He has been an independent producer for Native American Public Telecommunications since 2000.14
Kohler graduated from Stanford University with a Civil Engineering degree, where he was also on the Stanford Marching band and Lacrosse team.1 He became a member of the Actor's Equity Association in 1995 and a SAG actor in 1997 with a role in HBO's "Grand Avenue".14 He was the lead in the AEA production of "Tecumseh" for 5 summers before he began producing films.14
Kohler won the Eagle Spirit award from the American Indian Film Festival in 2006.14 He co-produced "California's Lost Tribes," which aired nationally on PBS and received a CINE Award in 2006.14 He produced "River of Renewal," which won Best Documentary Feature in two different festivals and has been screened over 2000 times on PBS stations nationwide.14 He co-directed, co-wrote, and edited "Behind the Door of a Secret Girl," which has 14 awards to date.14
Kohler also worked in developing a substance abuse prevention interactive CD/Rom, an HIV prevention series for teens, and an emergency preparedness infomercial for Native American organizations in 2008.14 With Anecita Agustinez, he created the original series "On Native Ground," which began airing on the FNX channel on October 23, 2012, with 12 episodes airing in 9 different states.14 Their feature-length documentary about the San Luis Rey Indian Water Settlement Act of 1988, called "Once We Had A River," will be released this year, as well as a short film called K'ina kil.14
Kohler's LinkedIn username is jack-kohler-9ab9b511.3 He has been a teacher for 15 years, teaching media arts and has taught music, theater, and film.6 He also composed and wrote the Native Rock Opera titled "Something Inside Is Broken" that won a Native American Music Award for Best Rock album.1 He is 5′ 9½″ (1.77 m).14 He identifies as straight and his nationalities/ethnicities include German, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Welsh, and Yurok Tribe of the Yurok Reservation.14


