Jonathan Murray "Jon" Chu was born on November 2, 1979, and is an American film director and screenwriter. He gained recognition for directing the movies Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.
Chu's academic background is impressive, as he is an alumnus of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. During his time there, he received several prestigious awards, including the Princess Grace Award, the Dore Schary Award presented by the Anti-Defamation League, the Jack Nicholson directing award, and was recognized as an honoree for the IFP/West program Project: Involve.
After completing his student short film, "When the Kids Are Away", Chu was signed to William Morris Agency and attached to several high-profile projects. He was hired by Sony Pictures to direct their feature Bye Bye Birdie, but the film was never greenlit due to budget concerns. Sony later reattached Chu to direct their updated version of The Great Gatsby.
In addition to his film work, Chu is also a member of a dance crew called AC/DC or Adam/Chu Dance crew. His father, Lawrence Chu, is a well-known chef, and his parents own Chef Chu's, a popular restaurant in Los Altos, California. Chu attended Pinewood School from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Chu is currently directing the online series The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. In an interview, he addressed a question he is often asked, "Why do all of your films have dance?" He responded, "I don’t know why. It seems so obvious. But there’s something about the dancers that motivate me the most. I don’t know if it’s just dance, but I do think that the dancers are amazing artists, and every time I meet a new dancer, that triggers something in my brain, and I’m more creative than I could ever be. When I feel that creativity burst, I go with it."
