JONATHAN NILES HECKMAN began his professional career at the visual effects boutique, GIANT KILLER ROBOTS while still a teenager. Landing a industry job three years prior to receiving his degree allowed him first-hand experience to the post-production side of the industry through vfx at GKR, while spending the remainder of his time in film school at the ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY focusing on his passion of filmmaking.

His first few years in the industry were divided between various 3D & 2D feature and commercial work and after graduating, he moved into compositing leadership and supervision. Experience with cameras and shooting led him to become GKR’s On-Set Visual Effects Supervisor, where he was responsible for overseeing the company's plate photography with NEW LINE CINEMA, WARNER BROTHERS, and 20TH CENTURY FOX.

In addition to having worked with three of the top visual effects facilities in the world - INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC, WETA DIGITAL, and DIGITAL DOMAIN he served as an additional Visual Effects Supervisor during principal photography of The Incredible Hulk in Toronto for MARVEL STUDIOS. An career which resulted in having been a member of three Academy Award winning teams shared between the Animated Feature and Visual Effects categories.

Continued camera experience and a broad vfx skill-set cumulated the rare talent of him becoming a cinematographer both in CG via previsualization and live-action on independent productions. In 2011, he was recipient of a VES Award for outstanding achievement in virual cinematography.

His full skill-set extends into his own projects as a independent filmmaker the work of which is showcased under the label AURORA-LAB.