Jonathan “Gus” Eid’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jonathan “Gus” Eid. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan “Gus”, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Physically, a normal day for me involves waking up, prepping for work, sucking it all up, and pushing through an eight hour shift because I have bills to pay. But mentally I am writing. Totally cliché but it’s the truth. Sometimes I come up with fresh ideas and play with them to see if they have legs. But, generally I’m retooling something I had been working on the night before. It’s a continuously loop of reworking dialogue, structure, and scenes.
Don’t ask me how my brain is able to absorb and retain all this story and structure. Because
half the time I can’t even find my keys the moment I put them down.

As soon as I get back home that’s when it’s on. I throw off the jacket, kick off my shoes, and bust out the laptop. I spend however long I need to in order to get everything out of my brain onto the page. Then I continue to hammer it out until my pages are solid. All this while something plays in the background. Usually an episode of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ or the reboot of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ which despite what I think of it has a solid sound track.

It’s only after I’m satisfied with my pages or at least feel I jumped a hurdle in getting them to a workable stage, that I allow myself to relax both physically and mentally. I’ll chill out, watch my shows/movies, and if I’m lucky fall asleep. If not, I’ll be thinking about embarrassing stuff I’ve done throughout my lifetime and beating myself up over it.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Gus Eid and I am the founder of Bite Me Films. Bite Me Films came from one of my earliest inspirations Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Very much like Buffy the content I produce is horror, drama, comedy, and coming of age. My content covers both ends of the spectrum.

I can produce a beautiful story about a person struggling to overcome their inner demons to find redemption. Or in contrast, something over the top about toilet paper revolting against humanity post pandemic. Some stories have something to say.

While others are strictly created for the sake of entertainment. I want people to have fun watching my stuff and to forget whatever they are going through. Hopefully, they may even relate to what they are seeing.

I believe that diversity matters. So I try to spotlight different groups of people; women, people of color, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and so forth.

I’m currently working on web series entitled “Indigo Sweet” starring Gioya Tuma-Waku about a dark-spirit huntress who returns home to find that her father’s been kidnapped. It’s a story about healing, family, community, and gentrification.

My short film “Mary Reborn” has recently been completed and is currently being submitted to festivals.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
Easy. That would be my mom. Being her child I learned first hand that the world was not easy nor fair. She was a single mother who worked multiple jobs to support her two sons. Still, she managed to get her GED and continue her education at college. I didn’t understand at the time how difficult that was to do. How strong and dedicated she needed to be to do it. My mom was definitely an incredible role model. I spent my life working hard to achieve my goals. Cramming a boatload of credits on my off days from work. Driving hours to a get to a film set. Taking on multiple jobs to continue paying bills so I could still continue to pursue my goals. It’s hard but I learned not to give up. Nothing comes easy.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of not being enough. That I’m not important enough or have enough credibility. That I’m not cool enough or that I do not have a lot to offer. It has effected what I have said, how I have said it, and how I’ve acted. Like “did I say the wrong thing”? Or “Oh, I so said the wrong thing” because I overcompensated to fake it since I didn’t believe in myself enough. By the way, faking it is not bad advice. Just how I handled it at times probably could have been done better. There are calls I never made. Opportunities I never took. Shots I didn’t shoot. I’ve definitely have taken steps to overcome that. It’s something I think we all relate to and at the end we are all people. So let’s just meet each other, be our best selves, and make art. Or at least conversation.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
two people. A quiet introverted person and a loud, outspoken cartoon. I believe they are both me. But, in the end sometimes I wonder am I performing for people? Sometimes, sure. I mean when energy’s up I come alive. Also, I’d rather just jump into conversations then be a quiet wallflower. But, I’m also the guy who likes to be home in bed watching Buffy and Batwoman on repeat all night in the dark with my phone on silent. I try to be my true self when I’m out. That’s all I can really say. Am I Echo, am I Caroline, or Omega. Give me another five years of therapy but pretty sure it’s Omega. Shout of if you get all that.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
My student loans. Make that twenty years… one hundred? They don’t make you pay it from the grave do they?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/bitemefilms
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bitemefilms
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/guseid
• Other: imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4066273/?ref_=fn_t_1