Conversations with Jesse Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Wilson.

Hi Jesse, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Since I was a kid I always loved the idea of giving back in some way. I’d often get lucky enough to go to a Disney park growing up and think how cool it would be if you could take disadvantaged kids or kids that never got to go to a theme park and let them go for free at least once. I became a teensy bit obsessed with Make-A-Wish’s Batkid wish that went off the rails in the best way possible. And around 2014/2015 I was in the midst of a big creative job at a major Hollywood movie studio and really wanted to do something impactful in a special way to those who need and/or deserve it most. I had made a bit of a career as a creative director or artist in the entertainment industry, made movie posters, marketed blockbusters, cut videos, etc… and thought it would be really cool if instead of some of these kids that are fighting cancer, or living with a disability, or getting a rotten shot at a “normal” childhood having the opportunity to meet their heroes and role models; what if they could become them. Best way a hero gets represented is usually on the big screen. So I contacted a buddy, Jaimie, who shot photography on a lot of the films I was working on, and told him we should start making movie posters for kids in these special circumstances and make them feel like movie stars. So we did. And that lead to movie trailers, and it led to celebrities getting involved, and personalized movie premieres for our new little heroic movie stars!
We turned an 11 year old heart transplant patient into The Incredible Hulk with some love from Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno. We turned a brilliant young lady living with CHD into Darth Vader and Carrie Fisher autographed her poster and our ol’ pal Chris Pratt sent a video of love. We helped a 6 year old with brittle bone disease star in his own Power Rangers movie, with a cameo from his favorite Red Ranger, and his own movie premiere as well as a visit to the real Power Rangers movie premiere in Hollywood. We even flew a kiddo with a chronic breathing disorder out to LA and shot his very own Ghostbusters movie experience on the Sony Pictures lot with the help of Sony, Ghost Corps, and Dan Aykroyd himself. Disney and Marvel even tagged us in to carry out one of our trademark FTW experiences for two sweet little siblings that were both diagnosed with brain cancer (so upsetting). We did photoshoots with them in costume, their parents, and even the real life grownup superheroes, their incredible nurses and doctors at CHLA. All for a nationally televised Christmas special during Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas! That was a doozy. Love that word. Anyway, the list goes on and on. We did a lot of cool stuff pretty fast but when Covid-19 hit everything screeched to a halt. And the epic experiences we gave these kids in person, with travel, and lots of people coming together, just like you do when you make a movie, was suddenly not safe and feasible for far too long. That forced pause turned out to be an unexpected creative turning point though. Because thankfully around that time some technology I had only dreamed of but mentioned at the start of FTW’s creation had recently evolved enough to where we could give our little FTW heroes a next level immersive experience without the aforementioned difficulties. Our ability to shoot stereoscopic VR180 footage that allows kids to go places, meet people and animals, and have experiences most people will never have access to has been a game changer. Only it’s not a game. This type of filmmaking mimics what our eyes see. So if we do our jobs right we can whisk kids away to immersive experiences that legitimately have to be seen to be believed. And the best part is the clinical trials and medical research that has been conducted on this tech have shown incredible results with pain management, rehab, anxiety, even distraction from some outpatient surgeries, and more. To say we’re excited about it is a genuine understatement. And it’s our prime focus right now so we can provide this unique and very special work for the benefits of the kids we’re here to help and serve…and deserve it most!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
TLDR: Nope!
Actually it’s incredibly hard. But FTW heroes have it harder and rarely complain so we usually keep that to ourselves.
What I can say is creating and managing a charity isn’t an easy task. And Hollywood has its own set of challenges, and witnessing these innocent kids fighting real evil isn’t easy either. But we’ve, against our will and might, said goodbye to some of these children in the worst way imaginable.
Once you go through something like that everything else is just a temporary speed bump.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a creative director in general. But I’ll also sometimes refer to myself as a creative dude or a creative Swiss army knife as I dabble in various creative mediums and like to try new things. I’ve done character illustration for Stan Lee, designed one-sheets for movie studios, created concepts for big marketing stunts, designs for toys, written scripts and stories and commercial concepts and copy, created packaging and overall creative for one of America’s fastest growing ice cream companies (CVT Soft Serve), developed campaigns for movies and products, built pitch decks for brands and films, shot and edited trailers and sizzle reels, shot photography, developed and designed licensed products, done some light acting and animation, directed and produced numerous film/video productions, and there’s loads more. I also own the Little Nero’s Pizza car from Home Alone and have fun spreading joy and chaos with that!
Not sure what I specialize in other than general creativity and fun.
You’d have to ask those who know me, what I’m known for! haha
I guess I’m most proud of the For The Win Project charity. We’ve had some really special moments with the kids, their families, and hospital staff. Plus it’s origin story, connection and involvement with my spouse and son is truly icing on the cake.
I’ve always been different from others. I was a pretty weird kid growing up and never fit in with a particular group. Why that is I’m not entirely sure. I need to invest in a neuro-psych evaluation and figure that out one of these days!

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I suppose it’s a good sign if you have a hard time answering this question. It’s really difficult to choose. But growing up, my grandparents managed a condo on the beach in Florida, and tenants often weren’t there in the summer. So I spent a lot of summers swimming and diving in the ocean by myself, exploring for marine life like rays, shells, sand dollars, starfish, dolphins, manatees, and fish. It felt like the world was my oyster in those moments, pun intended I guess. I had some cool grandparents growing up that made childhood pretty fun.
Meeting and falling in love with my high-school sweetheart should count too, even though I was a much older child at the time! haha

Pricing:

• We’re a charity so it’s free but we LOVE donations and support!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ForTheWinProject.org
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/forthewinproject
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/forthewinproject
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-for-the-win-project
• Twitter: http://x.com/4thewinproject
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/forthewinproject

Image Credits
Steve Voccola
Jesse Wilson
Jaimie Trueblood
Megan Pearson
Nicolo Santiago
Simon Cordova