Planet Thunder Productions strives to produce thoughtful, imaginative, and memorable films of any length or genre in an environment that encourages and respects creativity.
The Founders
Jacob Leighton Burns @boomdiggadown
When Jacob was in third grade, he told his school counselor that he was going to be a director when he grew up, and ever since, he has been working towards that goal. After spending years convincing friends and family to appear in his charmingly offbeat no-budget home movies, Jacob enrolled as a film production major at Oklahoma City University where his love of filmmaking and passion for storytelling expanded and flourished. While attending OCU, Jacob and his brother, Zachary Burns, met Vinnie Hogan, and together they produced over 20 short films together, laying the foundation for what would eventually become Planet Thunder Productions.
Vinnie Hogan @notontwitter
Vinnie Hogan was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He studied music composition at Oklahoma City University. Writing scores for short films, he developed a passion and skill set for creating short films of his own. He has worked with producing partners Jacob Leighton Burns and Zachary Burns on more than 24 short films and two feature films. His first full length film as a director - The Fable of Shannon Cable - premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2013. He acted as a producer and composer on Electric Nostalgia, which premiered at the deadCENTER Film Festival in 2016. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Austin, Texas, where he dreams of adopting a dog with which he can take on walks to buy Topo Chico and breakfast tacos.
Zachary Burns @lefteyeburns
Though he grew up with a love of motion pictures, Zachary went to Oklahoma City University pursuing photography and graphic design, focusing his efforts on the storytelling power of single images. But filmmaking was never far from his mind as he often collaborated on short films with his brother, Jacob Leighton Burns. After they met Vinnie Hogan and the trio began making short films together, a partnership was quickly formed and each new project only deepened Zachary’s interest in storytelling as his love of film, photography, and design further collided and intertwined.