We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jeremy Mowery. Check out our conversation below.
Jeremy, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, a music video I directed for Radioactive Chicken Heads called, Foiled Again, screened at Silverlake Shorts. That was a proud moment and there was much laughing involved. That festival is a monthly occurrence at El Cid in Silverlake and it is always a super fun time. There are many amazing shorts screened and quite a few of my friends and colleagues go to it regularly so I try to make it when I can, but having one of my projects screen is a very nice treat.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Jeremy Mowery and I started Sock Dolly Productions back in 2017 with Adam Thebault, my best friend from film school. We specialize in short films and music videos, mostly things that are wacky and cartoony. We have also worked on some upcoming indie feature films. The first is a documentary about the Southern California band, Radioactive Chicken Heads, directed by Michael Kallio and currently in progress. Michael is also directing a Christmas movie called, An LA Christmas Story, currently in post production. For that project, I animated a spunky Christmas Elf who takes inspiration from the old Rankin/Bass Christmas specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Besides the music video for Radioactive Chickens Heads, we’ve also worked on videos for local LA rock singer Savannah Pope, and for a space rock band, Pulsar Radio. I’ve worked on a few music videos for Savannah Pope, and my good friend Annette Bedrossian usually co-directs. Annette and I also co-directed an original short film called, Love Forevermore, which recently screened at the Night Frights Festival. We are currently starting a new short film called, Cat Town, a comedic political satire with cats. And I’ve recently begun working with another super talented artist, Victor Acuna, who goes by Unrwapped Art, on a short Halloween-themed stop motion film. I also teach stop motion at Woodbury University.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One moment growing up was watching Star Trek of all things. In particular when I first saw the film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The ending was very impactful, when Spock says, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” Gene Roddenberry was a very progressive thinker and the more I learned about the world of Star Trek the more I realized how crazy our current world is and how things could be if we all would just get along and treat each other equally. I often day dream about living in the world of Star Trek, lol.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Immediately after film school I began job hunting which was difficult and stressful. I thought I would never find anything film related so I started looking elsewhere as well.
But then I applied to grad school which cemented my path in film and television and steered my focus to stop motion animation as well.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am very committed to my belief in my need to create, so I am always working on projects. They are very therapeutic for me, so I always have some sort of film project going on and I work on them all no matter how long they take. Sometimes it takes a year to make a 5 minute short film, sometimes longer. I have many projects in the works, some I focus on more frequently than others, but I am committed to finishing all of them eventually (and of course, starting many new projects along the way).
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
One specific day I remember, that was a key moment and a turning point in my career, was when I found out I could do a stop motion film for my thesis project in grad school. I had a meeting with my academic advisor, Kelby Twaits, and pitched an idea to do as an independent study in stop motion because I saw that was an option in the course catalog. He suggested I do that for my thesis film and called up a stop motion animator who had also been through the same MFA program, Matt Manning, who I ended up learning stop motion from.
After that meeting, I literally skipped down the street in the rain to celebrate with a gourmet burger for lunch. I called my buddy Adam Thebault to tell him about the news as well. I also love the rain, so getting good news, and feeling the rain just made it all the better.
Since then I have made one stop motion project after another, working hard to make each new project better than the last.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sockdollyproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sockdollyproductions/?next=%2F
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-mowery-3b7248123/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SockDollyProductions/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sockdollyproductions5226
