Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Gilmore.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, went to film school at the University of Pittsburgh and moved to L.A. shortly thereafter at 22. I had written a few feature scripts and directed some things in college but had no job or buzz and arrived, unbeknownst to me, at a time in which the black film boom that had inspired me as a teenager in the 1990’s was over.
I worked a few industry jobs and got burnt out — learned a lot about how movies are really made — but it killed my initiative to make my own films. So I decided to take a break for a while: work at a job that had nothing to do with the industry and make sure my bills were paid and go where my artistic whims sent me. Did some journalism for a little while, covered some LA Clippers games and interviewed a few musicians at varying levels of fame.
Began working on a novel called Somewhere Between Here and There. Did some photography. Recorded a rap album in there somewhere. The time away made me a better writer and reminded me why I wanted to make films in the first place. Ironically, hard times and harsh realities of Los Angeles had helped me lose sight of that.
Also, the DSLR/internet era had happened which had democratized opportunities for people like me to get our hands on equipment, shoot digitally and get things out into the world. I wrote, directed and starred in a short film called How Shawn Parker Fell in Love that jump-started my life as a filmmaker in LA. By this time, I was 29, married and a homeowner.
From there, I just kept creating: more shorts, a few super low budget music videos, finally finished my novel and it was published in 2012, wrote more feature scripts including one that we’ve been working to get financed since 2011. More recently, I’ve been writing original pilots that have been very well received. One is an adaptation of my novel; another is sci-fi.
The secret has been to keep going and finding new ways to stay in love with what you’re doing. I think I was always a good writer, but I was very raw when I arrived. It’s taken this long to find my truest voice and communicate what I’m saying in a way that people are able to hear it. It’s like John Lennon once said of Paul McCartney, “Paul taught me you can say anything you want. You just have to put a little honey on it.”
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. There have been many times I wanted to quit. Initially, it was just about trying to be heard in an industry that’s not exactly looking for you. Now, many more opportunities exist, particularly for creators of color but no one’s looking for the diamond in the rough. It’s almost like you have to show up fully formed, with a sizable audience before anyone will take a chance. Either everyone wants you, or no one does.
Things became better for me when I stopped worrying about that and just put my head down and worked. I’ve had some smaller projects not be received the way I hoped they might. I’ve had some very big projects — with people we’ve all heard of — fall apart at the 11th hour because of something that I had no control over. It’s tough. But everything has made me wiser and stronger.
I feel more equipped for the blessing of the breakthrough than ever before, and it’s only because of all the things that didn’t work.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a filmmaker. Most of what I’ve done has been self-generated, and I tend to gravitate towards dramas and comedy. But I’ve done everything from shooting prom pics to being the videographer at weddings. I don’t promote those other things as much because I don’t want to get sidetracked from the main goal. But I have done them and, I believe, pretty well.
The short that probably received the most attention was an animated short I wrote and directed three years ago called “Me, My Mom and Dennis Rodman.” It was a three-minute, first-person story of the time my mom and I met Dennis Rodman in Detroit Metro Airport in the summer of 1990 when he played for my beloved Pistons.
We all have the image of crazy Dennis Rodman. But this was before he became that person, so the joke of the short is that it’s my mom and I who are the crazy ones. It played in a few festivals but also appeared on national television and was a top five finalist in a contest sponsored by NBC Sports. It led to a meeting with ESPN Films who have received a bunch of my pitches and left the door open for me to pitch more anytime.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I don’t think anyone knows. While I’m excited about this so-called “peak TV” era and the opportunity it presents to so many who wouldn’t have had a chance to be heard before, I’m worried that it will plateau and that we’ll be back to business as usual before long. Nothing lasts forever or expands forever. And things go in cycles.
There are some advancements, but there’s still been a lot more talk of diversity than actual diversity. Diversity is not just having one of each, so you don’t appear racist or sexist, diversity is a way of life. So I hope I can be a major part of the current wave. But I hope even more that it’s not a wave at all. I’d rather it just be who we are.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jasongilmore.me
- Phone: 818-635-2332
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasongilmore
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasongilmore
- Other: https://vimeo.com/jasongilmore
Image Credit:
Terrell K. Porter
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
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