Stories That Stay With You
Based in Ventura, CA with offices in Houston, TX, Vertero Films develops and produces feature films, documentaries, and scripted television—shaping projects from early concept through production, release, and distribution. We assemble the right team for every story and manage a precise, disciplined workflow that protects both vision and craft. With a varied slate in active development, we support productions of all sizes and bring grounded, meaningful work to life.
We also collaborate with brands, agencies, and companies to create cinematic, story-driven content. From brand films to promotional pieces, we focus on clarity, intention, and resonance.
Founded in 2018 by Jeremy John Wells, Vertero Films exists to explore virtue and human transformation through narrative storytelling. Our name—drawn from the Latin vertó and rooted in our Ventura origins—reflects the act of turning, translating, and reshaping. We pursue stories that move from chaos to order, fear to love, and isolation to community—films built to stay with you.
Filmmakers
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Jeremy John Wells
FOUNDER / PRODUCER • DIRECTOR • WRITER • ACTOR
IMDB • Letterboxd • Instagram
A prolific film and television actor, Jeremy John Wells started his career as a child actor in the 90’s. He left Hollywood in 2000 and moved to Texas where he was a serial entrepreneur and fine artist but eventually made his way back to LA where he started Vertêro Films in his hometown of Ventura, CA.
Jeremy has appeared on numerous films and television series with recent credits such as OPPENHEIMER & SHOOTING HEOIN and stars opposite Heather Graham and Kevin Nealon in the upcoming MAYBE WE SHOULD, which he also wrote and produced.
As a producer, Wells has recently produced END TRIP, THE BLIND, the story of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Roberson, and BOYS OF SUMMER, directed by David Henrie, starring Mel Gibson & Mason Thames. Jeremy’s Episodic Documentary Directorial debut, season one of ADVENTURES IN WONDER, a 10-part, half-hour long series which will be premiering soon on The Wonder Project via Amazon Prime.
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Isaiah Wakeham
OPERATIONS / PRODUCER • EDITOR • FILMMAKER
IMDB • Letterboxd • Instagram
Born & raised in Houston TX, Wakeham is an American Ninja Warrior National Finalist and combines movement and film to create unique perspectives & artistic films. Wakeham's focus is physical production, cinematography & editorial.
He is a Producer on upcoming MAYBE WE SHOULD, staring Heather Graham, Kevin Nealon, Matt Walsh and Lil Rel Howery. His editorial debut on ADVENTURES IN WONDER, a 10-part, half-hour long episodic documentary series and will be premiering on The Wonder Project via Amazon Prime soon. Having spent the past few years as a freelance filmmaker creating projects across the globe in some of the most remote places, Wakeham lives in Ventura CA and is a Producer at Vertêro Films.
PHILOSOPHY
We believe the best stories do more than entertain—they help people make sense of the world. Stories of Substance is our name for the kind of work that lingers: films built on truth, beauty, character, and the deeper questions of being human. These stories lean on symbolism and subtext, meaningful moral tension, and a voice that feels authentic rather than manufactured. They aren’t sermons, and they aren’t noise—they’re the kinds of stories that stay with you, open something in you, remind you what matters, and hopefully… leave an impact that lasts.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973) • CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972) • THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973) • CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972) • THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
VF List
THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984) • THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973) • CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972)
THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984) • THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973) • CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972)
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972) • THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984) • THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973)
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) • THE PILGRIM (1923) • HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) • THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) • COME AND SEE (1985) • VERTIGO (1958) • WITNESS (1985) • THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) • NOSFERATU (1922) • ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) • WARRIOR (2011) • 8½ (1963) • THE REVENANT (2015) • JOKER (2019) • THE DEER HUNTER (1978) • BRAVEHEART (1995) • A QUIET PLACE (2018) • INCEPTION (2010) • FORCE MAJEURE (2014) • DELIVERANCE (1972) • THE TREE OF LIFE (2011) • THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993) • TOKYO STORY (1953) • SEVEN SAMURAI (1954) • WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957) • IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) • THE GODFATHER (1972) • 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) • JULES AND JIM (1962) • TAXI DRIVER (1976) • THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) • IKIRU (1952) • A HIDDEN LIFE (2019) • PARIS, TEXAS (1984) • THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) • PARASITE (2019) • INTO THE WILD (2007) • THE MISSION (1986) • CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) • THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019) • THE IRON GIANT (1999) • MAN ON WIRE (2008) • HONEYLAND (2019) • SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) • GRIZZLY MAN (2005) • BARAKA (1992) • COYAANISQATSI (1982) • INTO GREAT SILENCE (2005) • WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001) • ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023) • GET OUT (2017) • FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) • STAND BY ME (1986) • THE EXORCIST (1973)
The films that live in our bloodstream. The ones we study, borrow from, argue over, and carry forward.
The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in.
– Harold Goddard