Jared Hillman has built an impressive career in Hollywood as both an actor and filmmaker, but what you won't see on his resume is the daily negotiation that comes with living with Crohn's disease. Diagnosed over two decades ago, Jared knows firsthand what it means to navigate a demanding, high-pressure industry while managing an illness that is invisible to everyone around him. His story is one of adaptation, resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up when your body is asking you to stop.
About Jared Hillman
Raised in New York and based in Los Angeles, Jared Hillman studied at New York University and Ithaca College before being accepted to Brown University. He went on to earn a scholarship to the University of South Carolina School of Cinematic Arts, where he graduated magna cum laude from the production program, a foundation that would fuel both sides of a dual career in front of and behind the camera.
As an actor, Jared has guest-starred on some of television's most recognized series, including Psych, iCarly, NCIS: LA, Castle, Major Crimes, and Without a Trace. He also has a supporting role in The Social Network, one of the most acclaimed films of the last two decades.
Behind the camera, Jared has written and directed commercials, narrative short films, and digital series. As one half of the creative duo Hillman/Helfgott, he co-produced and directed the award-winning short films Tandem, The Listing Agent, and The Fake. His other directing work includes The Jennies, the pilot The Pick-Up Sticks for New Form Digital, and The Escort, starring Doris Roberts. He is also the co-creator and director of the AwesomenessTV series A Teen Survival Guide, which was later expanded for Verizon, and the director of L.O.L. Surprise Unboxed!, a branded series with over 250 million views. Most recently, Jared served as live-action director of the Amazon Originals holiday film L.O.L. Surprise Winter Disco. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Natalie Lander.
Living with Crohn's Disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. Symptoms can include severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition, and they can appear and disappear unpredictably, making planning and consistency a daily challenge. What makes Crohn's particularly difficult is that it is an invisible illness, from the outside, a person living with it may look completely fine, even when they are not.
Jared was first diagnosed with Crohn's disease more than twenty years ago. Since then, he has moved through its many phases, both physical and emotional. There are periods of relative stability and periods of significant difficulty, and through all of it, Jared has been continuously learning what his body needs and adapting accordingly. Living with an invisible illness in an industry that runs on energy, availability, and performance is its own particular challenge, one that Jared speaks about with honesty and without self-pity.
