“What I do is so much harder to explain than to show, that’s why I love #hexology.”

Stuntman, Performer, Actor, Writer and Historian, Jack Gassmann develops, creates and performs accurate depictions of historical combat scenes for film and theatre, bringing in the newest research into the display he creates for camera and stage.

I gallop around in Roman armour parrying spears thrown at me in live shows; I teach authentic Elizabethan swordsmanship to actors; I organise Viking skirmish scenes and Victorian street fights; I publish articles in academic journals and make presentations at international conferences on medieval warfare and tactics; and when I’m at networking events hexology let’s my work speak for itself.

“I grew up on a farm in Kansas riding mustangs and learning surviving Plains Indian horse archery from the Bald Eagle family in the Dakotas. When my family moved to Switzerland I competed and won historical fencing competitions, and then at the age of 18 I continued to compete whilst teaching across Europe. I have studied numerous different historical weapons systems and won many Gold and Silver awards, the most recent being the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Columbus.

My knowledge of martial arts and how it developed over the centuries has really helped me understand how the quality of a character and story can be raised when the tactics used in the combat scenes are historically accurate. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the duel between Tybalt and Romeo draws in references to the different schools of fencing, Tybalt’s on stage stance follows the Spanish Style where as Romeo follows the Italian. As another example, the depiction of a medieval Knight comes alive when a longsword is used in an authentic way!

To share my knowledge and skills I recently decided to stop competitive fencing and go into film. I want to see the brilliance and technical subtlety of the German longsword; the brutal efficiency of Italian swordsmanship and it’s dagger work; the myriad of different schools of Rapier and the gentlemanly violence of Victorian self-defence put on par with that of their Asian cousins; all brought to life through the world of film. I want to create authentic actions scenes that make sense for the characters, and add richness and depth to the setting and story.. Wow!!! I believe the audience will experience something that they may have never seen before!”

#hexology helps me share my story with the people around me without even opening my mouth and for that, it is brilliant!

When I meet people for the first time #hexology helps them find out all about me and decide whether they want to talk to me, giving them enough information to dive into productive discussion. #hexology is a lot like having my own Personal PR Agent working 24/7. I can wear #hex on the London Underground or whilst having coffee in Soho, where ever I go I know that people are able to discover my work and that gives me a feeling of peace!!

Believe me when I say, to think that I am being judged on my work first and foremost is liberating, with #hex I know that I am carrying my showreel material around me so that I can make a positive first impression. I’m always on the look out for people I can collaborator with and if I see another person’s work through #hexology then I can figure out if they are a good match, if they have put their work out there then it tells me they’re serious too!

#hexology is my own personal PR Agent that is working for me 24/7, that gets right to the heart of everything.

• It saves me time, no need for lengthy pitches!
• It keeps the focus where it should be, my work!
• No need to rely on my sales ability; I may have a bad day but #hexology can’t!
• Peace of mind, #hexology helps me target the right people.
• People can instantly find out all about me and decide if they want to talk.
• I can walk into a room full of producers and directors and find the ones that I want to work with and those who might want to work with me without having to make a cold pitch.

For all of these reasons I love #hexology, and now I think you know why!