Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason T. Gaffney.
Jason, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started acting when I was only six years old. I was the tiniest orphan in a production of Oliver! During that production, I knew that I had found my calling. Or so I thought. I went to AMDA (The American Musical and Dramatic Academy) in NYC because I was certain that I wanted to be a Broadway star.
Needless to say, I didn’t end up becoming a Broadway star, but I did find myself acting in a lot of films. I wasn’t going to stop the way the winds were blowing, so I dove into it. Well, cut ahead a year or two, and I was watching a bunch of LGBTQ films on Netflix and really enjoying that these movies existed. As an openly gay man, it was really refreshing to watch movies where the leads were just like me. But even with these amazing pioneers of the LGBTQ film industry, I still felt like I wasn’t truly being represented.
You see, I was really lucky and had parents who were totally cool with me being gay. In fact, they had prepared for it starting back when I was three years old. So when I came out of the closet, I was more coming out to myself rather than to the people who knew me.
While I was loving the LGBTQ movies that I was watching, I noticed that many of them seemed to center around the fact that the main character wasn’t out of the closet, or that they were forced back into the closet to protect someone. The drama and comedy always stemmed from their sexuality.
I wanted to watch a movie where the main characters were gay (like me) and also lived in a world where being gay had nothing to do with the main conflict of their story.
I called up my folks and exclaimed that we were going to make a movie where the leads would be gay characters, and the conflict would have nothing to do with that. In fact, there would be no drama surrounding their sexuality in any way. And our first feature, The Perfect Wedding, was born.
After I helped co-write and produce The Perfect Wedding, I knew that it wasn’t just acting, but creating and telling stories through film that was my true calling. I moved to Los Angeles shortly after filming The Perfect Wedding, and within half a year, I met the love of my life — my husband, Matt.
The best thing about Matt is that when we met, he understood that my career was crazy and volatile, and he had no problems with it. In fact, he has always been supportive and insistent that I fly after my dreams.
It wasn’t long after we got together that we founded My Pet Hippo Productions and made our production company’s first feature film, Analysis Paralysis, which I co-wrote with my dad, Ed Gaffney. I’m thrilled to say that we had a successful film festival run and then went on to screen theatrically in Palm Springs for three weeks.
One of the joys of making Analysis Paralysis was getting to work with my co-star, Kevin Held. We work incredibly well together, so much so that we decided to create a podcast called The Bright Side with Kevin and Jason. Every week we look back on a tragic event in history, we laugh about it, and then find what good came from it.
Since creating the podcast and getting Analysis Paralysis out into the world, I have co-written, directed, produced, and starred in another feature, Out of Body, with my amazing mom, New York Times Bestselling Author Suzanne Brockmann. We just completed production, and I’m currently working on the edit.
(This story is also available as a romance novel in ebook, paperback, and audio! My co-star Kevin Held and I narrated the audiobook edition, which is published by Blackstone Audio, and available on Audible, Apple Books, and GooglePlay!)
P.S. I also write LGBTQ+ romance novels! You can find my California Comedy series in ebook and paperback (Creating Clark, A Match for Mike, and Fixing Frank), co-written with my dad Ed Gaffney, at your favorite online bookstore. (Or order the paperback from LA’s own indie romance bookstore, The Ripped Bodice!)
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Making movies is hard work. Rewarding work, but hard. Especially when you’re living in super-ultra-low-budget-land. Thanks to digital cameras, filmmaking has never been more accessible for those with a small budget. But having nice cameras is only one piece of the movie puzzle.
When you’re filming on a shoestring budget, completion of the film depends on getting an amazing team together who are willing to work hard hours for way less money than they truly deserve. My goal is to make at least one feature a year, with the hopes that we will secure more funding to hire more people and eventually give them all well-above-scale pay.
Another thing that is needed on the set is food. And since we have a finite amount of money, we needed to get creative to make sure everyone was well fed, according to SAG rules, without breaking the bank. Thankfully my husband and fellow producer Matt loves learning how to cook new types of food, and he got super creative in making great meals for a tiny amount of money.
Another challenge in filmmaking is the time. There is only so much time in a day, and getting all the shots needed to tell an amazing story requires planning. My brilliant Cinematographer of Analysis Paralysis and Out of Body, Nacia Schreiner, mapped out the shots with me to the T so that we could know exactly what we needed to get done every day as efficiently as possible.
In addition to that, there is a fun detail of set dressing. Having art on the walls, books on the shelves, and clothing that’s more than just plain colored shirts really can help the world feel alive versus stale. But a big thing that goes along with that is getting the rights to use any of those things. Or I make the art myself.
Thanks to Pinterest and my desire to make my films look like a million bucks, I’ve taught myself how to make certain types of art and decorate clothing. This is just a small detail that really sells the world as real, along with the amazing acting and technical work from the cast and crew.
I also am super grateful for my mom, New York Times Bestselling Author Suzanne Brockmann, for putting the word out to the book community which helped me dress my set with amazing books from amazing authors.
I also reach out to a lot of local or small businesses to try and enhance the film’s world with their bags and clothing (and give them a shout out). With all of these challenges, I rely on having an amazing team of people to have my back. I wanna throw some thanks to this group of amazing people who have made moviemaking a reality for me.
Easily my parents and my husband. They are incredibly supportive of my career and collaborating with my folks on the scripts and films is a joy. My dad is crazy funny, and his help writing Analysis Paralysis made it into the laugh-out-loud, award-winning comedy that it is.
I’m also really looking forward to you seeing Out of Body, which I co-wrote with my mom. Her knack for romance is very apparent in the story and the dramatic scenes that she wrote really crackle with chemistry. My husband Matt for not just working his regular 9-to-5 job, but also helping me chase after my dreams. I am truly grateful to have him in my life.
I’m also incredibly grateful to my cousin Jack Gravina who helped edit and score Analysis Paralysis. His amazing eye caught things that I missed and helped enhance the film. I’m looking forward to working with him in the future. Keep an eye out for his stuff. He’s a master in the horror genre.
Without my Cinematographer none of this would be possible. Nacia Schreiner helps push me out of my comfort zone while making sure to get what we absolutely need to tell the story. She has made all of my creations look like a million bucks. Her attention to detail is epic, and everyone should be so lucky to get to work with her.
And, of course, my dear friend Kevin Held who I collaborate with on our podcast The Bright Side with Kevin and Jason. I’m still so happy we met on that film set so many years ago, and I love that he is willing to go on these crazy film adventures with me. Having an actor like him who shows up prepared and ready to play and take direction is vital when you only have so much time in a day.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about My Pet Hippo Productions – what should we know?
At My Pet Hippo Productions, we think the world is a far more diverse and interesting place than Hollywood blockbusters would have us believe.
Our mission is to create high quality, exciting, and entertaining movies featuring a universe where:
-LGBTQ characters have leading roles that are never based on stereotypes
-The main conflicts of our LGBTQ characters aren’t created by their sexual orientation
-Female characters have roles that go beyond mother, wife, daughter, and/or woman-in-jeopardy
-People of color have roles that are never based on stereotypes
-A limited budget does not mean a compromised product
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think that determination is the characteristic that is most important to the success of My Pet Hippo Productions.
Lots of things go wrong in everyday life, and without determination to follow through and see it to completion none of our films would make it into the can (film-speak for completion of the project).
Obviously, there is a lot of luck and teamwork involved as well, but as with any art, you have to be willing to push through when the going gets tough.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JasonTGaffney.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jasontgaffney/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JasonTGaffney
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/JasonTGaffney
- Other: www.tinyletter.com/mypethippo/
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