Jake Hamilton

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Jake Hamilton (born January 18, 1988) is an American film critic and documentary producer.

Appearing in both print and television, he is best known for hosting his own film review segment, Jake's Takes, on KHOU-TV CBS.

Also known for his weekly newspaper articles in the Houston Chronicle, Hamilton began writing in 2001 at the age of 14 before moving on the the late-night HoustonPBS talk show The After Party with Emmy-nominated talk show host Ernie Manouse.

Hamilton is a member of both the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Houston Film Critic Society.

Early years in print

Hamilton began his film critic career at the age of 14 by writing multiple letters to the Houston Chronicle, all describing why he would be perfect for the position. He was awarded the position in April 2002.

Hamilton's first review (of the summer blockbuster Spider-Man) was published on May 9, 2002.

It didn't take long before Hamilton's reviews become more popular, allowing him to branch out into out into Top Ten Lists, Oscar Coverage and even the subject of publicity contests.

While working with the Houston Chronicle, a publicity contest quickly formed into the popular "Win A Date With Jake Hamilton" contest (modeled after the film, Win A Date With Tad Hamilton). Hamilton was to be awarded to a young girl who would be drawn from a pile of entries of girls who could answer five cinematic trivia questions correctly. More than 1,000 girls entered to win the date, which made front page news as a Valentines Day special in February 2004.

Hamilton would continue to write hundreds of reviews throughout the next four years before leaving the Chronicle in May 2006 upon graduating from Clear Lake High School.

Though Hamilton has moved on to the medium of television, he continues his literary film criticism career, contributing to the KHOU-TV website as well as The Daily Cougar, the official newspaper of the University of Houston, where Hamilton is enrolled.

Success in television

After leaving the Chronicle in May 2006, Hamilton began searching for an even bigger outlet -- television.

This led him to audition for the late-night HoustonPBS talk show, The After Party with Emmy-nominated host, Ernie Manouse. He was awarded the position and began his career in television in September, 2006.

Alongside Variety film critic, Joe Leydon, Hamilton participated in weekly chats about the latest cinematic offerings for the quirky, late-night talk show before "The After Party" was finally canceled in January 2007.

Having developed a close relationship with Manouse while working on "The After Party," Hamilton was brought on as a producer for the HoustonPBS documentary, The Last 24. Covering the last 24 hours before the opening of a contemporary dance company's latest production, the documentary shined light on the drama and tense moments before the final curtain rises. It was met with critical praise when in aired in August 2007.

In March 2008, KHOU-TV (the Houston CBS outlet) contacted Hamilton about appearing as a guest on their morning talk show, Great Day Houston. Met with a warm reception by the studio and audiences alike, Hamilton was awarded his own segment, Jake's Takes, where he now continues to cover film on a weekly basis as well as traveling to Los Angeles and New York to interview Hollywood's hottest stars.

Controversy

Hamilton made his way from the by-lines to the headlines by becoming the center of intense controversy, usually surrounding the adult content of his reviews and Top 10 Lists in relation to his young age.

While working with the Chronicle, he was attacked for including several R-rated films on his 2003 Top 10 Films list. Readers claimed that, being only 16 at the time of publication, it was an outrage for him to include so many age restricted films that, technically, shouldn't have been appropriate for him.

Hamilton would also be attacked even after turning 18. In January 2006, he was the subject of controversy yet again for naming Sin City the Best Film of 2005.

News of his age even traveled around the world, as even Australian websites began to report about the controversial young critic -- though it was covered with more amazement than hostility.

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