About Z. W. Amundson
Director, screenwriter, and cinematographer forging resonant visuals and high-concept stories — whether for the big screen or the next big brand.
Zach Amundson’s filmmaking origin story starts not on a set, but in a theater seat in central Ohio. He was wrapping up a Business and Communications degree at The Ohio State University when the first Hobbit live-action film hit the big screen. Something about the sweeping worlds, practical craft, and unabashed escapism lit a fuse—and by 2013, Zach was in New York City creating stories of his own.
He wrote and produced the fantasy feature Dwarves of Demrel, which went on to distribution in more than a dozen territories and was acquired by Amazon. His directorial debut, First Date, snagged a nomination for Best International Short Film at the Paris Arts & Movie Awards, and his follow-up, Don’t Vanish, became a quarterfinalist at the Golden International Film Festival while winning Best Cinematography at the Florence Film Awards.
In 2022, Zach launched PTP Films, where he directs and shoots branded content that blends human honesty with visual flair for global clients Spotify, LegalZoom, Walmart, CVS, Labcorp, Gilead, and Deutsche Bank. He's also a founding partner of Mantel Pictures, a narrative production company dedicated to genre storytelling across fantasy, horror, and sci-fi.
For Zach, whether it’s a commercial spot for a global brand or a cinematic world of monsters and myths, the goal is the same as the day he first saw The Hobbit: tell stories—real or imagined—that pull you in and make it tough to let go.