Rising Stars: Meet Jasminda Phull of Mount Washington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasminda Phull.

Hi Jasminda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hii, I’m Jasmine! The long and short of it is, I started as journalist in Melbourne (music/culture/travel), fell into advertising and commercials in London, and through that discovered screenwriting. In 2019, I took a quick trip to LA and ended up signing with my first lit managers.

It happened over Negronis at Soho House.

But it wasn’t arranged. It was the most organic/random/we met at the bar happenstance that barely ever happens today. So that was that. I went back to London packed my bags, told my boyfriend and we moved to LA. That was just under 4 years ago <3

Today I balance my advertising work (Nike, Google, Warner Music etc), with my screenwriting projects but the thing I’m really excited about is my free monthly film event SHORTIES.

Shorties is a fun night where we roll shorts, drink wine, and hear an industry guest talk about which short they think should’ve been a feature. Follow us on instagram.com/shorties.club for future dates.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s a windy road for sure.

At one point, I showran an audio comedy drama with a staff of 4 writers, we outlined a whole season, then it was cut for budget reasons. It hurt but I learnt a lot and met my writing partner thru it!

It’s not new news that the entertainment industry takes a lot of persistence, and is mostly nos (lol). You’ve gotta be stubborn and thick-skinned, and a lil delulu. Fortunately I can balance it with my commercial/advertising work. And for that I am grateful.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m most proud of.. My absurd stories and ideas, my people skills and (maybe most importantly) my lack of ego.

Honestly, the most dangerous thing you can do is believe your one good idea might be the last one you’ll ever have. Let it go! It’s freeing, I promise. I’m constantly ideating, the crazier the better. Then I throw it out and think of another! I’m not precious. I don’t stop until I have my best.

My current dark comedy short, ‘Dying to See You’, is about woman who fakes her own death to get the attention of her Grim Reaper Mommy.

At its heart, it’s about dysfunctional mom-daughter relationships. Lorelai and Rory Gilmore BFFS?? Sorry but as an immigrant woman, I CANNOT relate.

Anyway it was an idea that people really responded too. It made them stop, and smile. That’s when I knew I had to make it.

Only thing was, I didn’t know anyone. I was new to LA. So I made a pithy pitch deck on Figma (5 pages, mostly images). Then, I Insta DM’d cast and crew I was excited to work with. Again, I didn’t know anyone. But I thought what’s the worst that can happen? They say no?

But you know what? They didn’t.

I think when people see you can back yourself, and you’re a nice person, why wouldn’t they wanna connect? Side note: I did pay everyone. That helps.

I also met my fab EP, Roshan Sethi, via one of these DMs and he’s been a great advocate ever since. He’s currently shooting a movie starring Oscar winner Michelle Yeow! Srsly, Google him. He’s about to blow up. And every day I’m thankful that I put my ego aside and reached out before he did 😉

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Like best..

The nature!!! Jacarandas in June, fig trees, palm trees and the pink peppercorn. My boyfriend and I just bought a hillside home in Mount Washington so I’m understandably smitten

The eastside community!!! I will not shut the f up about the people on this side of town. They are the most giving, the most supportive, the most excited for your journey. They subscribe <3

The delulu!!! (Sort of related to the last one). Be whatever. Do whatever. No one’s gonna question why you’re a high school bio teacher who also does improv on Thursday nights. I love that about LA. Open minds. Open hearts.

Like the least..

This city is a hype machine. Sorry but every single restaurant in LA can not be the best. That’s the opposite of best. Here’s a tip: Eat your way around Melbourne. You can thank me later.

Skunks. The smell is like burning rubber. Who knew?

x

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shorties.club
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminephull/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/srry_notsorry

Image Credits
Marlena Ryan