Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonah Z Helms.
Hi Jonah Z, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My path to becoming a filmmaker is a testament to my counterculture upbringing and “back-to-the-lander” parents who left the East Coast in the 80s to live off the land in the Southwest. Growing up on fifteen acres without TV, my imagination was my primary source of entertainment. While other kids were glued to the tube, I spent my days playing make-believe in the woods with the riffraff of the New Mexico high desert.
It was through performing on stilts in an ecological community circus called “The All Species Project” that I connected with two creative souls, Conci Althouse @conci.a and Adam McLean @adamemnon, who wanted to make films. Together, we scrounged up some cash from our tips working at the local grill and made two guerilla features. We called ourselves the SaneAsylum Syndicate. To our surprise, our films received multiple festival acceptances and one even secured one of the last DVD distribution deals. We thought we were on our way to Hollywood stardom!
But life had other plans. After moving to LA at the ripe age of 22, the only job in the film industry I could find was as a runner at Creature Effects Inc. I spent eight years there, building and puppeteering animatronic creatures for major motion pictures and television shows. It was a far cry from the Hollywood dream I had envisioned, but it allowed me to learn from some of the best filmmakers in the biz.
Throughout it all, I kept writing and pitching my ideas. Persistence paid off, and one of my screenplays caught the attention of some producers. So now, I am back to writing and directing. It’s been a wild ride, full of unexpected twists and turns, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
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?
Leaving a successful creature-performing career to pursue writing and directing was a significant hurdle.
They say, “never meet your heroes,” but I did, and they changed my life twice – on the screen and in person. Working on the Revenant with Alejandro González Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki, two of the filmmakers who originally ignited my passion with films like “Amores Perros” and “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” was a dream come true.
But as I worked outside in the freezing winter in Alberta, reality hit me. While I was playing a horse’s ass, these two maestros were choreographing emotion and painting with light. Not that acing a good horse buck can’t be a fulfilling experience, but I wanted in on that other action!
Watching my heroes up close made me realize they are human beings. So I said goodbye to my four-legged puppeteering career and decided to recommit to writing and directing. It wasn’t an easy decision, but sometimes you have to say “adiós caballo!” in order to move forward.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My latest project, a music video titled “I’ll be holding on,” was a collaboration with the incredibly talented soul singer and actor Morgan James @MorganaJames and @radfoxfilms. It was an inspiring experience, and it reinforced my belief that the journey of making a project is as essential as the outcome itself.
One of my proudest accomplishments was the creation of my film “Stolen Tundra” about a snow creature protecting the last piece of glacial ice left in the world. We shot it in the Mohave desert and Alaska with @MakeWild Films. I wanted to recreate the post-apocalyptic environment in the story for the actors, so we decided to camp out in the desert. When the crew got wind, they decided to join in on the experience. It was like a mini Burning Man with a five-star vegan chef, but instead of partying all night, we made art together.
I always want to create a fulfilling and memorable experience for my actors and crew where everyone feels valued and supported. We are a family of empathic individuals giving each other the gift of our creativity. If the process succeeds, the project succeeds, and the audience can feel that connection and collective energy on screen.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I will say this about mentorship and networking – my advice is to be a genuine human who cares deeply about other creatives. If you want to help others and see them succeed, they will want to help you.
A special shout out to my frequent collaborator @d_xterforever for recommending me for this profile. Go check out our new music video, “Feel Your Love”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jonahzhelms.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonahzhelms/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/9ryw1DCBMAM
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQYvTBkWkW8
Image Credits
Consuelo Althouse, Jacki Moonves, Skyler Bocciolatt, Jamie Frazer, Austin Locicero, Talyn Edelson, Todd Minobe
