Benny Estrada/Jack Lewars

Benny has long been fascinated with making movies. Growing up in Los Angeles, there was always something fun to shoot using his parent’s camera. Capturing footage of him and his friends skateboarding, riding bikes, or just horsing around became an everyday occurrence. With a strong interest in Biology as well, he later used his experience behind the camera to document all the breeding/keeping of his growing reptile and amphibian collection. These experiences proved helpful for Benny later in life, working as a Paleontologist for a number of years, and currently holding a position as a colorist at a well established Post Production facility in Hollywood. It was here where Benny had met Jack Lewars, who had already directed a few short films. Soon after, the two began collaborating ideas for potential projects, leading to their first feature length documentary as Co-Directors titled “Alligator Run.”

                                                   Jack Lewars

Jack Lewars moved to Los Angeles after graduating from The Film School at Penn State University. He has always had a passion for directing documentaries. His most acclaimed, "Centralia" told the story of a small Pennsylvania town built above underground mine-fires that burn to this day. Jack has also directed many short films including "The Date" and "Divided By." Currently, Jack works as a colorist at one of the most active post production houses in the world. Documenting "Alligator Run," and Co-Directing this story into the feature film that it is, has been Jack's favorite project to date.