Winter Jonz

Winter Jonz is an Assyrian-American and Chicago's Lincoln Square native. It was Chicago where he started auditioning for roles in the local theatre houses to gain experience. Like most young aspiring actors, Winter enrolled in a college that would provide him with the skills necessary to develop a career in show business. He attended DePaul University's Theatre School where he studied Theatre for two years before transferring to Roosevelt University's Theatre Conservatory. At Roosevelt, Winter was trained in improv, Stanislavsky method, and Meisner technique under the guidance of Ted Hoerl. Once his course curriculum with Mr. Hoerl was completed Winter made the decision to dropout of college, move to LA, and pursue the next phase of his acting career. Winter arrived in Los Angeles on July 17, 2004. He landed in LA with no real connections, and like many bold aspiring actors before him, he turned to sheer determination as a means to accomplish his ambitions. He used to sneak into casting offices riding a Vespa and pretend to be a messenger service, dropping off his headshots. Winter's bold tactics and determination proved to be a success with the booking of his first major gig on The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow in April 2005. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth Barnes (casting director for The Comeback (2005) recommended Winter to his then talent agency: GVA Talent. Winter signed with GVA a week before landing his first feature film, American Dreamz (2006), in May 2005. In late 2009, he started a band called The Hollabacks, which gained national recognition and success. The band won the 2010 Slurpee Battle of the Bands competition; opened for N*E*R*D. at the Fillmore East; was invited for a live session at Wolfgang's Vault; had two songs featured in the thriller "Cyrus" (starring Lance Henriksen); and were the face of Slurpee for six months. Winter is also currently pursuing a solo music career collaborating with various artists/musicians including Ryan Liestman (keyboards - Jonas Brothers); Michael Bland (drums - Prince and The New Power Generation/Soul Asylum); and John Fields (prod. - Demi Lovato/Jonas Brothers). His album, "O My God," (debuted 10/13/2012) and latest EP - Sex Appeal (debuted 6/14/14), now available as a collection as "Winter Jones, Volume I" on Spotify. Winter Jonz is currently residing in the UK.