about planet thunder
We are an award-winning and Heartland Emmy nominated production company and we strive to produce thoughtful, imaginative, and memorable films of any length or genre in an environment that encourages and respects creativity.
In short, we make movies that RULE.
Jacob Leighton Burns
Jacob Leighton Burns is an award-winning filmmaker who specializes in directing, editing, and cinematography. With over a decade of experience, Jacob strives to be a part of projects that are thoughtful, imaginative, memorable, and innovative.
Over the years, Jacob has worked on a wide variety of projects of all shapes and sizes, including feature films, documentaries, corporate videos, music videos, and commercials. He has worked with both local and national brands including MTV, CNN, and GQ.
His award-winning science fiction film, Electric Nostalgia, is currently available on Amazon Prime, and in 2019, his short documentary, Fleeting Light, was nominated for an Emmy by the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. His second feature film, SHIFTER, was featured on Entertainment Weekly (ew.com) and SyFy.com, and was nominated by Film Threat for three awards including Best Director and Indie Movie of the Year. In 2024, Jacob’s film When Shadows Lay Darkest won the Audience Choice award at the Austin Horror Film Festival.
Co-Founder
Vinnie Hogan
Vinnie Hogan was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He studied music composition at Oklahoma City University. Writing scores for short films, he developed a passion and skill set for creating short films of his own. He has worked with producing partners Jacob Leighton Burns and Zachary Burns on more than 24 short films and two feature films. His first full length film as a director - The Fable of Shannon Cable - premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2013. He acted as a producer and composer on Electric Nostalgia, which premiered at the deadCENTER Film Festival in 2016. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Austin, Texas, where he dreams of adopting a dog with which he can take on walks to buy Topo Chico and breakfast tacos.
co-founder
co-founderZachary Burns
Zachary Burns is an award-winning Oklahoma City filmmaker whose films are fan favorites at festivals worldwide, and across the nation. He is a storyteller whose love of film, photography, and design intertwine to produce thoughtful, imaginative, and memorable films that encourage and respect creativity. Burns is the co-founder of Planet Thunder Productions through which he has produced and directed many short and feature films including the dark comedy “Hell Hath No Fury” (Burns’ feature directorial debut), and the short documentaries “Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening” and “Fleeting Light”, which was nominated for a Heartland Emmy. He currently teaches film editing at OCCC.