Check Out Jennifer Young’s Story

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My mother had me when she was very young. We watched a lot of movies together. Now I don’t know if the two are correlated, but I am certain that watching movies was our favorite way to pass the time. It became a second language for us. When the time came for me to make some choices about what to do with my life, I could only think of one thing… Leonardo DiCaprio. JUST KIDDING! But Seriously. In my precious young mind, I thought, ‘if I want to make movies, I need to be an actress.’ So I bought a one way ticket to New York City and started auditioning.

What I ended up learning was that my passion for film was a passion for storytelling and I could do that in front of or behind the camera. I wrote a comic book that was published with Image Comics and turned it into a pilot that is currently in development. I produced some short films, moved to Los Angeles, and got my Master’s Degree in the Producer’s Program at UCLA. GO BRUINS! Back to when I was watching movies with mom… she didn’t care about the movie rating system. I was watching Poltergeist, Pet Sematary and Candyman. I saw Pulp Fiction when I was eight years old from the front row of the movie theater. Anyway, my love for horror followed me into adulthood and while at UCLA, I sought out the best horror companies in the business – I got to work for Jason Blum and Sam Raimi. Because I was so focused on working in the horror space, I was recommended by a good friend (Alex Franklin) for a job opportunity. Eli Roth was making a documentary series about the history of horror film and television for AMC. I started out assisting the showrunner but was promoted to associate producer. I’ve never had more fun working on a project in my entire life and I was fortunate enough to work on another season of that show.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles along the way… of course. Once I got comfortable with a few things, it got easier… As a filmmaker, being comfortable with the fact that your taste might always be a few steps ahead of where you are in your career. I may never make a film as good as Boogie Nights… but I’m damn sure gonna try. Sometimes life’s lessons are learning who you DON’T want to be… and what you DON’T want to do. And that’s okay too. Not every boss is going to be a mentor. I trust that these experiences will also pay off and shape me to becoming a better person to those around me. Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am currently working on the development of Cannibal, the tv series based on my comic book with my writing partner and long time friend, Brian Buccellato. I assist Directors and Producers in the development and production of film and television. Daybreak and Sweet Girl – both for Netflix. Eli Roth’s History of Horror for AMC – seasons one, two and hopefully three – fingers crossed! More recently, I assisted Iris Shim and Matt Black on a horror film produced by Sam Raimi. I am currently assisting director Brad Peyton on his upcoming feature. On the side, I am making some short films and writing my own scripts that I would like to direct – hoping that all this shadowing will put me in the right position for the job.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always looking for people willing to make a short film in any capacity. Actors, actresses, editors, writers who are looking for directors for their work. I would love to build more relationships and dialogue with cinematographers as I think they are the key to the goods! @iamjennyoung