Jan Vogel was born in 1973 in Ecuador and grew up in Hamburg, Germany. He studied Business and Cultural Studies. He has been working in film production since 1994, his duties ranging from production assistant, electrician and 2nd camera assistant. In 1997 he pursued a Master degree in Cinematography at the A.F.I. in Los Angeles, California, but dropped out after one year to shoot several spec commercials and a short film together with his partner Rene Villar Rios. Since 1999 he has been working as a director and cinematographer in Germany in various commercials, short films and documentaries. In 2003, he founded Dickes Film Production in Berlin together with Rene Villar Rios and Alexander Papastavrou. Wasted Youth is his first feature film.