Jonathan grew up in the Chicagoland area before studying physics and mathematics at Illinois State University. At ISU, he became interested in science communication and filmmaking. Initially his interest in film was as a tool to communicate science, creating physics education videos for a number of years. He has sense develop an interest in creating original narratives that can emotionally engage viewers. While at ISU, he created the YouTube channel Heroic Science. After leaving ISU, he gained a master's in physics from the University of Iowa and is currently teaching physics at Purdue University, Butler University, Ivy Tech Community College and is a creative consultant for Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue.