Justin Zimmerman
Filmmaker, comic writer, and professor behind Bricker-Down Productions.
Justin Zimmerman doesn’t just tell stories—he builds worlds. From the documentary screen to the comic page, the Portland-based filmmaker and writer has spent over two decades crafting narratives that blur the line between fiction and lived experience. His work as the founder of Bricker-Down Productions has earned over 35 film festival awards, an Eisner Award for the Love Is Love anthology, and distribution through Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Plaid Hat Games.
Zimmerman’s comics career is defined by visceral, genre-blending stories. THE 27 RUN—described by Zimmerman as “a combination of all my favorite childhood creations—ROBOTECH, MAD MAD and GODZILLA”—spawned two sequels (CRUSH and CRASH) and earned praise for its wild visual ambition. His graphic novels THE KILLING JAR, OTHER WORLDS, and SAFE showcase a writer drawn to dark, character-driven tales that appeal to fans of Stephen King and post-apocalyptic science fiction. He also contributed to Mezo, the Mesoamerican fantasy epic from A Wave Blue World, and to the hopeful sci-fi anthology All We Ever Wanted: Stories of a Better World.
Beyond comics, Zimmerman is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His film SMART—a feature-length documentary about animal rescuers—won Best Documentary at the Artemis Film Festival and been an official selection at SXSW and hundreds of other festivals, while SARA’S COLUMBINE told the story of a school shooting survivor over a decade of filming. He adapted Stephen King’s “The Man Who Loved Flowers” as an official Dollar Baby film, shot on location in Estacada, Oregon. His 2022 documentary SOLDIER examined PTSD through the lens of a former sniper turned firefighter.
Zimmerman teaches filmmaking and comics creation at the Denver School of the Arts, where his students have earned over 200 official festival selections and 46 international awards. He also taught Creating Comics classes at the Portland Art Museum. As Director of Operations at Battle Quest Comics, he coordinates industry partnerships and collaborates with artists on upcoming titles including Summoner Wars.
Perfect for fans of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, horror-tinged drama, and comics that feel like indie films. Similar in sensibility to Matt Kindt’s genre-bending work and Jeff Lemire’s emotional storytelling.
