Jimmy Jack

Jack (as Jimmy The Exploder) co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the Australian feature film The Black Balloon with director Elissa Down. The pair recruited Strictly Ballroom producer Tristram Miall to produce the film. The narrative is semi-autobiographical, mostly drawn from Down's childhood experiences, but she asked Jack to join her in writing the screenplay.[4][5]

Jack and Down won Best Original Screenplay for the script at the 2008 Australian Film Institute Awards.[6] Jack caused a minor controversy when accepting his award he read out a negative review of the film and declared "Fuck You" to the critic, for which he received a standing ovation.[7][8]

Jack also shared with Down the 2007 Western Australian Premier's Book Award[9] and the 2008 Australian Writer's Guild AWGIE Award[10] for the screenplay.

In 2009 it was reported that international model Gemma Ward (who acted in The Black Balloon) would be starring in Jack's next feature film Sex, Brains & Rock 'n' Roll.[11] Jack described it as a 'zombie rockumentary' and told reporters that he was looking at Macaulay Culkin to play the other lead role.[11]

In 2010 Jack uploaded material onto a YouTube channel 'EXPLODERVISION'. The channel featured obscure videos starring himself performing mundane tasks.[12]

Jack (as Jimmy The Exploder) has contributed to publications including The Guardian. His more notable publications have been social commentary on his hometown of Perth,[13] and an obituary for his friend artist Matt Doust.[14]

In 2010 Jack curated the John Hughes Retrospective at the Northbridge Piazza, funded by the City of Perth.[15]

In 2013 Jack founded the film sales and distribution company Video Archives. The company was named after the video store Quentin Tarantino worked at in Los Angeles before his career took off.[16]

Jack was one of the founders of the Perth Underground Film Festival (PUFF) which was part of the Perth Fringe Festival in 2015.[17]

In 2015 Jack worked together with a group of prominent Western Australians to found the Museum of Perth. Jack owned Henry Saw cafe which was neighbours with the museum and named after the grocer who first roasted coffee beans in Perth.[18]

Jack owned Babooshka cafe in Northbridge, Western Australia. In 2015 the cafe launched a series of 'freakshakes' that went viral and received international press.[19][20]

In December 2018 Jack appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on five charges including two counts of breaching protective bail conditions, disorderly behaviour in public, obstructing public officers and common assault in circumstances of aggravation or racial aggravation. Jack was convicted on all counts.[21][22]

Jack was also convicted after a 2018 District Court trial of one count of deprivation of liberty - an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. In March 2019, Judge Ronald Birmingham sentenced Houghton to 18 months in jail, citing that Houghton, then 39, had violently and forcefully detained a vulnerable young woman - his then 21-year-old girlfriend - who was terrified by his "frightening and irrational" behaviour.[22][23] The judge found that after the victim confronted Houghton about text messages from other women and said she wanted to leave the relationship, Houghton thwarted the victim's repeated attempts to leave the house, slamming her against the wall twice and pushing her against the bed.[2][24]

During the trial, Houghton "attempted to cast the victim in a bad light" including making "humiliating accusations" against her.[2] Judge Birmingham said Houghton terrified his victim, who in a victim impact statement said she felt "incredibly sad" she allowed someone to manipulate her, and that her former boyfriend took away her happiness and youth.[2]

Houghton is now subject to lifetime violence restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman in any way. He was also fined a total of $5,000 of which $3,500 will be paid to his former girlfriend as compensation.[25][3]

Jack was spoofed by Australian filmmakers Henry and Aaron in Henry & Aaron's 7 Steps to Superstardom[26], The Ballad of Danny Danielson[27] and Henry & Aaron’s ABC2 Xmas Quickie. Their main character Danny "The Dynamite" Danielson was based on Jack's pseudonym Jimmy The Exploder, and their experiences working with him. Perth actor James Helm plays Danny Danielson.[28]

• Jimmy Jack at IMDb
• Jimmy Jack on Myspace