Life & Work with Jeffrey Ashkin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Ashkin. 

Hi Jeffrey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Upon graduating from the University of Central Florida’s film school in Orlando, I decided to move to Los Angeles to make my own films. I’ve written, directed, and produced twelve films, plus wrote shorts and features for some incredibly talented people, and acted whenever someone thought I fit the part. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The two biggest obstacles have been vision and variables. I sometimes would have a vision of what I wanted for a project, but it would occasionally come out wrong. Either I was unable to communicate what I wanted, or I wasn’t able to financially produce the vision I wanted to see. The other issue was variables. Producing my own work can be a headache. I try to make films with a limited amount of crew, cast, and locations. I learned if there was a factor in my work that was iffy, (an actor is unsure if they can commit for a day, a location turns out to be noisy, or the camera sometimes doesn’t work…) the issue could derail the film. It’s best to have these variables worked out ahead of time so you don’t waste time on your filming days. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m most proud of my work as a screenwriter. I specialize in broad comedies and sci-fi dramas. The two times I was invited to San Diego Comic-Con’s film festival was to present a broad comedy and a sci-fi drama. I’ve won various feature screenplay competitions and look forward to some of those scripts being produced one day. 

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the indefinite future are to keep writing and making films. In addition, I took a screenplay and turned it into a novel. Several publishers have expressed interest but I’m looking for a good lit agent to help me navigate that space. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jeffreyashkin
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeffrey.ashkin
• Youtube: youtube.com/jeffreyashkin

Image Credits
Olivia Perry
Wesley Gun
Robert Dastoli
James Dastoli
Craig Weinstein
Noel Nunez