Jeff Springer was born in an abandoned town in the California desert, raised in Hawaii, and educated at USC Film School. After working at a dilapidated film studio in Russia, he began to edit for the likes of NBC, Paramount, Warner Bros, and Capitol Records. Eventually he found himself on Lucasfilm's Skywalker Ranch, editing behind-the-scenes documentaries for a not-very-well-received science fiction prequel.

Craving the unexpected, he directed the offbeat feature documentary Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea, which was narrated by indie film icon John Waters. The film went on to screen at 200 film festivals worldwide, win 37 awards for Best Documentary, and was broadcast on the Sundance Channel.

His latest feature documentary Rodents of Unusual Size, about giant swamp rats invading coastal Louisiana, was funded by ITVS, was broadcast nationally through Independent Lens on PBS, is rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was featured as an answer on Jeopardy.

His short film The Wintering Grounds, about dirtbaggin' "certifiable lunatics" in a parking lot who kayak the world's best winter whitewater, has screened at over 25 festivals worldwide.

He grew up in Hawaii and has lived in Afghanistan, Russia, London, Berlin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and is now based in New York.