Life & Work with Jared Cohn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Cohn.

Jared, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started as an actor. I’m from NY but went to Boston for a couple of years after high school for college at Northeastern University, but I didn’t like it. I was not a fan of anything I was studying. I had no clue of what I wanted to do in life. When I moved into an apartment off campus, I met a roommate who was an actor and he moved to LA and I went and visited and got bit by the bug.

Then I decided to move to LA and wanted to try my luck in Hollywood. I learned to act, studied with great coaches, and teachers and as an actor I was grinding for years and it was rough. I worked a lot in the low-budget space, but nothing huge. It was hard on every level but I learned so much about myself and life from those 6 years just trying to hustle as an actor.

During my acting journey, I started writing, and that organically lead to directing. So for the last 15 years, it’s been mainly directing, writing and producing. I’ve now directed over 50 movies. It’s been quite the journey. I’ve worked with a lot of great people, Mike Tyson, Bruce Willis, William Shatner, DMX… RIP. And many other awesome people.

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?
It has not been a smooth road at all. I’ve hit the lowest of lows, I was struggling to find work, to make money, to not lose my head. It got bad, I couldn’t sleep, I was dealing with anxiety, depression, insomnia for years, Hollywood was beating me up. It felt like I was spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. When I started, when I was 19,20, I was so convinced things would work out as an actor so when reality slowly, painfully consumed me, it was devastating. I didn’t want to give up.

Despite my failure to succeed as an actor, I didn’t want to leave the industry so I pivoted to working behind the camera, and I am super grateful to now be working consistently behind the scenes, which turned out to be much better for me. Directing, producing and writing have so many different challenges than acting. Everything in this industry is hard. Nothing is easy, it’s all about putting the work in. You can’t not put in the work and expect to win. Unless you’re born to famous parents.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve directed many genres, people used to know me as the horror guy, then I started doing made for TV, Lifetime movies, so I became the TV movie guy, then I started doing action movies, so now I guess I’m that guy. You are constantly put into boxes, which is okay and understandable, because people, yourself included, need to be able to pitch you or see you as something, something right for whatever project you are in consideration for to direct.

I did the Lynyrd Skynyrd movie, which has been received really well and which is more of an artistic, biopic-type project. I’d love to do more things for Sundance, something human, something moving.

I attribute my success to my hustle, persistence, tenacity and grit. I don’t know how to stop. I’m proud of that trait, although my “let’s go attitude” has gotten me in trouble a few times, it has helped more than it hurt so I’ll stick with it.

This industry is brutal and I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, it takes a lot of persistence to succeed. I wrote a book, which will be coming out in May called 50 Movies Made: Lessons learned all about my journey. It’s about persistence. I looking forward to sharing my story.

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?
These days you sort of have to be able to do a bunch of things. I direct movies, I produce movies, I write movies. I know cameras, and lights, I own a ton of gear. I work on my own projects and direct for others. I’m at the point now where I’m looking to make great movies, tell great stories. I’ve made a lot of super low-budget movies, and some of them are really good, and while it’s fun to make movies to just make movies, now I’m seeking to make movies that stand the test of time in an age where 100 movies come every day.

People who want to work with me, I’m reasonably accessible. I’m also around on social media. @jaredcohn1

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jaredcohn.com
• Instagram: @jaredcohn1

Image Credits
Steve Squall Jim Stone