Life & Work with Jett Jansen Fernandez of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jett Jansen Fernandez

Jett, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. I started acting and doing theater, as well as training in martial arts, at 7 years old. I competed in theater at the national level throughout middle school, high school, and college, training under renowned theater director and head of the Broadway Hispanic American Arts Center, Max Ferrá. After doing theater at The College level, I worked at the Miami Shores Performing Arts Theater professionally before ultimately deciding to combine my theatrical skills with my martial arts background to become a professional wrestler and stuntman. I trained with WWE head coach Norman Smiley. After years of working in Florida, I moved to Los Angeles to focus on film and television, hoping to write and produce films as well as continue my career in stunts and action design. As a member of the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, and having recently been nominated for an Emmy, I’m excited for what’s next. And I wanted to take a second and say thank you anyone who’s ever helped me.

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?
It’s been incredibly difficult to get to this point. I showed up in LA with $200 and a briefcase. And when you move to LA, nothing you’ve done in the past matters. Doesn’t matter how experienced you are or what your level of knowledge is; you’re always treated like you know nothing when you get there. You have to start over from the beginning, which can be frustrating. I was lucky enough to be taken in like a stray dog by Tempest Freerunning, the greatest American parkour team in history, formed by some of the best stuntmen in Hollywood. In exchange for a spot on the couch to sleep in i also I helped write and produce projects for them for free, as well as doing the occasional dish and walking the dog, or whatever random chores needed doing. But in that process, you end up writing and working on hundreds of projects. I’m a firm believer in the theory that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. Those early years of grinding have proven to be invaluable and helped get me to where I am today.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a writer, producer, and stuntman, usually specializing in action-adventure comedies. One of the projects I’m most proud of in the stunt and action design realm is for the forthcoming film Queen of the Ring. This movie is about the first famous female professional wrestler, Mildred Burke. I was the choreographer for the film, as well as playing the referee and participating in the main fight scene. Getting to choreograph an entire film was a huge bucket-list achievement for me, and it was a very satisfying project to work on. Shoutout to the very talented Heath Hensley for bringing me onto that project He’s a great Stunt coordinator. Another project I’m proud of is my work as a stuntman on The Righteous Gemstones for HBO, which earned me an Emmy nomination. This couldn’t have been possible without the support of Cory DeMeyer, who let me come on board and do my thing. But really, anything I work on has a special place in my heart because I truly love the film and television business.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think taking risks is a huge part of working in the entertainment industry. No risk, no reward. I just completed a short film that I wrote and directed, called Blue Evening, produced by WWE star Kevin Robert Kesar. It’s a dramatic piece. As a stuntman, one might expect me to create an action story. However, I felt like taking a risk by doing dramatic story instead. Ultimately, taking risks is part of the game, and you have to listen to your heart.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jettjansen/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3839906/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm