Today we’d like to introduce you to Austyn Jeffs.
Hi Austyn, 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?
Two years ago I had no idea that I would make 30 short documentaries about LA.
You’ve never heard a story like this before. Career is going great and then the pandemic hits and I question what I really want to be doing with my life. I’m the only person this happened to. There’s not like multiple news articles about this trend.
So yeah directing and editing career was going well and was set up to direct a pilot at Comedy Central. Plague hits. Career thrown off. The pilot which I had spent over two years getting together is killed. Basically, a decade of hard work was completely lifeless and honestly was not coming back.
But sometimes a low point can be good? You’re more abstract in desperateness. What do I care about? What do I explore that I haven’t done yet?
And then during friends weekend trip, I was talking to my friends how I had this like smallest inkling to do some history related, just like nothing more than a blip. My longtime friend and producer Russell Ford was like “If you want to do that I’ll develop it with you.” And it was kind of like ok there’s my next year I guess?
Now I have thirty short documentaries chronicling LA from before humans all the way to the present, and that’s how Heart of the City came together.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
This was no budget and pulling favors and just random reach outs. All shot guerrilla with no permission or permits. Literally funded on unemployment and EBT. It was a labor of love and a labor of low-budget filmmaking cliches.
Oh yeah, we also filmed this during a global pandemic.
I’ve never been on camera and also never had any desire to be on camera, that was maybe the largest hurdle to get over. I know it’s surprising as like a super eccentric dude who’s uncomfortable-in-his-giant-six-foot-five-and-way-too-lanky-body with a flameboyant-yet-monotone voice, it seems like I would be a shoe-in for being natural on camera, but yeah… Never any interest. Russell convinced me it had to be me. He wouldn’t let me out of it. He was also right.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The focus of Heart of the City was to show people sides of Los Angeles they have never seen before. I really wanted to show people LA’s hidden gems and what a unique and influential city this is. Also I really, really strived to make history entertaining and accessible to anybody. The history show is basically dead right now, and I really challenged myself to make a contemporary pop version of one.
Also, I truly think California is one of the most interesting places on earth. We are living here during a historically insane time. I feel like we’re so close to our moment we just can’t see it yet. It’s not like during the middle of the Renaissance people were exclaiming out loud “Holy shit it’s the Renaissance!” And I wanted to see if I could give viewers that sense of awe.
It’s the most populous and economically powerful state in the richest country that’s ever existed. What shapes the world’s culture is crafted and portrayed and filmed and televised from here. The forefront of technology is birthed here. More artists currently live in LA than in any other city in any other time. The diversity of the state’s people, architecture, regions, beauty, and weather is unparalleled. So many aspects of modern urbanism had their trial run here and continue to influence contemporary cities.
Look I may have drank the Kool Aide way too hard on this project, but I hope even just a fraction of my enthusiasm is conveyed.
Also, the first Taco Bell was in Downey. That’s cool.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I can’t sit still. I get anxious if I’m cooped up. My personal hell is sitting in my apartment during the weekend. Basically every weekend I try to go somewhere, I’ve never been before, and that’s how most of these stories came together. I was watching an interview with Iggy Pop where he said “Curiosity pays unintentional dividends” and this project kind of comes out of that. Just through pure restless leg syndrome.
Pricing:
- The Docs Are Free On Youtube
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Dimitri Tzoytzoyrakos
