Jon Alston

Jon Alston (born June 4, 1983) is an American screenwriter, director, producer and former National Football League (NFL) linebacker. He has written and produced on critically acclaimed shows such as S.W.A.T. and All American. His first feature-length film, Red Butterfly, debuted at the 23rd Annual St. Louis International Film Festival. His sophomore film, Augustus, has received 24 wins and five nominations since its debut in 2020,[1] notably winning the Directorial Discovery Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.[2]

Jon Alston
Born
Jonhenri Alston II

(1983-06-04) June 4, 1983
Monroe, Louisiana
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, film producer, Professional Athlete 2006-2011
Years active2011–present
Websitejonalston.com

Prior to filmmaking, Alston earned a football scholarship to Stanford University which led to a career in the National Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft, ultimately spending five seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. Alston additionally played for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; he retired in 2011.[3]

Alston later graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Film and Media Studies before matriculating at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

Early years

Alston grew up in Bastrop, Louisiana, but moved to Shreveport, Louisiana shortly before high school. He got his first taste of organized football in his freshman year of high school at Loyola College Prep. Jon excelled in football, earning All-District honors in his sophomore, junior year, and All-State his senior year. As a linebacker, Alston registered 134 tackles and 21 stops for losses in his senior season. He played free safety, middle linebacker and tight end as a sophomore and started at running back as a freshman[4]

Football career
Jon Alston
No. 57, 94, 55
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1983-06-04) June 4, 1983
Shreveport, Louisiana
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Shreveport (LA) Loyola
College:Stanford
NFL Draft:2006 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77
Career history
Career NFL statistics
GP/GS:39/8
Tackles:66
Passes defensed:1
Forced fumbles:2
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Alston went on to play college football for the Stanford Cardinal. In 43 games with the Cardinal, Alston started 27 times. He finished his career with 164 tackles (94 solos), 21 sacks and 29.5 stops for losses.

Pre-draft

One of the most athletic linebackers in all of football, posting a 4.40 40-yd dash and 40" vertical leap at the 2006 NFL Combine. He also had a 11'00" broad jump. and bench-pressed 225 pounds 30 times. At the Stanford pro day, Alston ran a 4.40 40-yard dash.

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench pressWonderlic
6 ft 0+5⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 223 lb
(101 kg)		 4.40 s1.53 s2.58 s4.13 s6.90 s40 in
(1.02 m)		11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)		30 reps35
From NFL Combine.[5]

St. Louis Rams

Alston was drafted in the third round (77th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.[6] In 2006, he made 2 special teams tackles for the Rams. On September 1, 2007, he was released by the Rams.

Oakland Raiders

On September 3, 2007, Alston was signed to the Oakland Raiders' practice squad. He was then promoted to the active roster after Travis Taylor was released. He played in 13 games in the 2007 season for the Raiders, recording 8 tackles and 1 forced fumble.[7]

On March 27, 2008, Alston was re-signed as an exclusive rights free agent by the Raiders for the 2008 season.[8][9] After linebacker Robert Thomas was waived/injured on September 2, Alston switched from No. 94 to Thomas' No. 55. Thomas was then re-signed by the Raiders weeks later. On October 19, 2008, in a game against the New York Jets, the Raiders were forced to punt on a 3 and out. However, longsnapper Jon Condo directly snapped the ball to Alston, who ran it for 22 yards on a fake punt play. In 2008, Alston led the Raiders in special teams tackles with 20 despite missing two games and starting 4 games at OLB. He ended the season with 34 total tackles and 1 pass defensed. Against the Chargers, Alston garnered a career-high of 11 total tackles including 9 on defense and 2 on special teams.

Alston suffered a concussion and was placed on Injured Reserve on November 25, 2009.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 12, 2010, Alston signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alston retired from the sport in 2011.[3]

Film career

Alston's first film, Red Butterfly was independently produced.[3] Alston cites the works of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell as influences on the film. Red Butterfly is a postmodern romantic tragedy in the style of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet and Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream.[3]

Alston's sophomore film, Augustus, won the Directorial Discovery Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in addition to being awarded the distinction of Best Director at multiple festivals in 2020.[10]

Awards and nominations

Film
Augustus
Year Festival Award Result
2020 A Show For A Change Film Festival Storytelling Award Winner [11]
2020 NYC Web Fest Outstanding Achievement in Writing Winner [12]
2020 Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival Best Short Nominee [13]
2020 Rhode Island International Film Festival Directorial Discovery Award Winner [14]
2020 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase Best Experimental Film (Jury Award) Winner [15]
Best Experimental Film (Audience Award) Winner
Best Director (Experimental) Winner
Best Editing Winner
Best Cinematography Winner
The Essy Award for Best Showcase Film Winner
St. Louis International Film Fest Selection Winner
2021 Anthem Awards Human & Civil Rights Awareness Categories - Special Projects Award Winner [16]
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Awareness Categories - Special Projects Award Winner
2021 Blackbird Film Festival Cinema Director Award (Short) Winner [17]
2021 Denton Black Film Festival Best Narrative Short Winner [18]
Best of Festival Winner
2021 Julien Dubuque International Film Festival Best Short Winner [19]
2021 NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Best Short Film, Drama Nominee [20]
Best Cinematography Nominee
Best Actor, Drama Nominee
2021 Santa Fe Film Festival Best Short Film Winner [21]
2021 Telly Awards (Gold) Branded Content Craft-Videography / Cinematography Winner [22]
Telly Awards (Silver) Social Video General-Social Impact Winner
Social Video General-Public Service & Activism Winner
Branded Content General-Documentary: Individual Winner
Branded Content Craft-Directing Winner
2022 Blackbird Film Festival Black Stories, Black Voices (Audience Award) Winner [23]
2022 Portland Film Festival Best Short Film Winner [24]

Screenwriting

Alston's first feature-length screenplay, based on an eponymous Oscar nominated short-doc, was one of three selections to win the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition in 2022.[25] Prior to this, he and his co-writer won the Missouri Stories Scriptwriting fellowship in 2020.[26]

His first hour-long pilot was a finalist in 11 screenwriting competitions between 2021 and 2022. Festivals include ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition,[27] PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition,[28] Launch Pad Pilot Competition[29] and HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition[30] among others. The project is also listed in the top 1% of Discoverable Projects on Coverfly.

References
  1. Alston, Jon (June 10, 2020), Augustus (Short, Drama), Common Goods Film Co., iEG Film, retrieved November 7, 2022
  2. "Rhode Island International Film Festival (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  3. "Jon Alston Official Website".
  4. "Stanford Cardinal Bio". Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  5. Jon Alston, Pro Scout Draft.com
  6. "2006 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  7. "Yahoo! Sports". Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  8. "Quarterbacks Meyer, Otis sign with Raiders". Contra Costa Times. March 27, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  9. "RotoWorld". Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  10. Alston, Jon (June 10, 2020), Augustus (Short, Drama), Common Goods Film Co., iEG Film, retrieved November 14, 2022
  11. "News". A Show For A Change. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  12. Dapo (November 9, 2022). "Case Study: The filmmaking of Augustus by Jon Alston". indieactivity. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  13. "Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  14. "Rhode Island International Film Festival (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  15. "St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, US (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  16. "Anthem Awards (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  17. "Blackbird Film Festival (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  18. "Denton Black Film Festival (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  19. "Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  20. "NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  21. "Santa Fe Film Festival (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  22. "Telly Awards (2021)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  23. "Blackbird Film Festival (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  24. "Portland Film Festival, US (2022)". IMDb. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  25. Pryce, Kevon. "2022 Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition Winners". Atlanta Film Festival. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  26. "Scriptwriting Fellowship Competition". Missouri Film Office. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  27. "2022 ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition Finalists". ScreenCraft. January 12, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  28. "2022 Quarter-Finalists | PAGE International Screenwriting Awards: Screenplay Contests". pageawards.com. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  29. tblaunchpad (April 11, 2022). "2022 Launch Pad Pilot Competition Second Rounders". Launch Pad. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  30. "HollyShorts Screenplay Contest Announces Quarterfinalists!". BITPIX TV News. July 6, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
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