Jackson Hunter Deakins

The best part about what I do is that when I’m asked What do you do?

I’ll respond I write.

The follow up is always And what else?

I’m a writer from L.A. The most important life advice I’ve gotten was from a 96-year-old Yogi—saliva in the corner of his lips—who asked me what I do and fired back, “That’s bullshit.” Nothing has come close to that. So began my career of pretending.

I didn’t have the guts for AP-style and a short-lived (but fondly remembered!) stint in journalism ended in 2021. I write occasionally for magazines like Jacobin, but try to avoid anything that resembles a newsroom—

—Naturally, I made the jump to a Writers’ Room. I’m currently working on season seven of ABC and Lionsgate’s The Rookie as a Writers’ PA. I’ve been here since season four and am happy to call this show home. “Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit—” the Yogi continued on. I’d never sat cross-legged for that long.

I write to be shot. Interpret that how you may. There are no samples. Only to-be-produced shows and movies. You’ll find some of my favorites listed below along with a beautifully bracketed email. Reach out. You’ve read this far, don’t you want to hear more?

I was raised by an agent and an actor, so what I lack in follow-through I make up for in a complete lack of humility.

Selected Writing

KRAD (TV Drama/Comedy)

A whiplash half-hour dramedy set in a college radio station at the University of Colorado's flagship campus. It's bitingly funny, edgy, and most importantly, it's timely. College campuses are in the crosshairs of the culture wars. Why should Congress have all the fun?

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Nearer to Thee (Feature/Western)

A Mexican-American boy traverses the late 19th-century American Southwest, fleeing his past and a malignant U.S. Marshal who hunts him. Hell or High Water meets High Plains Drifter.

2021 SEMI-FINALIST in Final Draft’s Big Break Screenplay Competition.

Feedback from Slamdance’s Screenplay Competition: “There's some potent imagery and compelling moments in this new-school western morality play that feels very much cut from the same cloth as Unforgiven or something from the Coen Brothers like No Country for Old Men…This is a deftly told, gritty, lean revenge tale that lasts exactly as long as it needs to deliver the story in the most effective way possible. The scenery is vivid, the visual beats of the action are really strong and clear, and this reads in unbelievably fluid fashion.”

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PROFUNC (TV Drama/Thriller)

A writer investigates the eclectic minds behind a psychological study that attempts to stop disasters before they happen, until his own traumatic past draws him into the team.

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Obscura (Feature/Psychological Thriller/Horror)

An aspiring fine-art photographer uncovers a unique camera that launches his career into the stratosphere—at a sinister cost. A campy, Lo-Fi romp reminiscent of early Cronenberg and Stephen King.

An abridged proof-of-concept of Obscura won six awards including BEST INDIE FILM at Top Shorts Film Festival.

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In the Valley (TV Drama/Western)

A rural California sheriff is pitted against the town he serves when a migrant is lynched in this Dustbowl-era drama.

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For more information on any of the above scripts, feel free to contact the email listed at the bottom.

The best part about what I do is that when I’m asked What do you do?

I’ll respond I write.

The follow up is always And what else?

Selected Writing

Selected Newswriting

Nonunion Hollywood Workers Should Stand With Striking Actors and Writers

The pandemic is the perfect time to cancel student loan debt.

The media’s response to Biden’s win is a worrying sign for the future of journalism.

The riot at the University of Colorado was driven by pandemic fatigue and pent-up emotion.

Reporting on the La Mora massacre has harmed efforts to normalize Latter-day Saints.

Brett Kavanaugh’s college drinking culture never went away.

One of the country’s largest public health epidemics has reached college campuses.