Behind the Camera: From Church Media to Film Production - with Jason Munden

Geoff: 00:00:00

Hey there.

Geoff: 00:00:00

Welcome back to the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast.

Geoff: 00:00:03

I'm Geoff and I'm excited to be back with you today with Jason Munden.

Geoff: 00:00:07

Welcome Jason.

Jason: 00:00:08

Hey, thanks for having me.

Jason: 00:00:09

This is fun.

Geoff: 00:00:10

Jason is the owner operator of Blue Eye Productions, and he is a seasoned professional with two decades of experience in the film video industry.

Geoff: 00:00:18

Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an exceptional talent for storytelling through video honed since his high school days, with a portfolio boasting.

Geoff: 00:00:27

Thousands of videos produced for over 250 companies.

Geoff: 00:00:31

Jason's expertise spans from startups to Fortune 100 Giants.

Geoff: 00:00:36

Notably, Jason has collaborated with NBC Universal lending his skills to the casting of TV shows.

Geoff: 00:00:42

His passion for the people process shines through in his work as he excels in making individuals feel at ease, confident, and assured of success.

Geoff: 00:00:51

Jason's love for production stems from its unparalleled ability to weave narratives and evoke emotions.

Geoff: 00:00:58

And his commitment to this craft is evident in every project that he undertakes.

Geoff: 00:01:03

It's great to have you, Jason.

Jason: 00:01:05

Oh my gosh.

Jason: 00:01:06

Thank you for having me.

Jason: 00:01:07

This is exciting.

Geoff: 00:01:08

Cool.

Geoff: 00:01:08

Cool.

Geoff: 00:01:09

Yeah.

Geoff: 00:01:09

Yeah.

Geoff: 00:01:09

Well, our connection, uh, I think it no doubt goes back to and is woven through your, uh, relationship with Jaclyn as a writer.

Jason: 00:01:18

Yeah, for sure.

Geoff: 00:01:19

you guys, uh, connected some time ago.

Geoff: 00:01:22

We'll get into that actually, because, uh, I don't know the, I don't remember off the top of my head when it started.

Geoff: 00:01:27

I know you've, uh, you've worked on some projects and you've, uh, wanted to work on projects and you've worked towards things together and some worked, some got put aside.

Geoff: 00:01:37

But, let's go back, first of all to, uh, how you began.

Geoff: 00:01:40

Where did film, video, all start for you?

Jason: 00:01:44

Yeah, great question.

Jason: 00:01:46

I mean, I have to go all the way back to probably early eighties, maybe.

Jason: 00:01:51

Maybe.

Jason: 00:01:52

Yeah, 81, 82 probably.

Jason: 00:01:54

We're talking like Dukes of Hazard and the incredible Hulk and um.

Jason: 00:01:58

And then Air Wolf and the Knight Rider, I mean, all of those things.

Jason: 00:02:02

And then by 86 Top Gun.

Jason: 00:02:05

but not just like the action and fun like Michael J.

Jason: 00:02:08

Fox was a huge, huge, um, influence on my life.

Jason: 00:02:12

I was Michael J. Fox when I was younger, like a secret of my success.

Jason: 00:02:16

Uh, teen Wolf, you know, all, all those like, great and back to the future.

Jason: 00:02:19

Um, you know, just that guy liked by everybody, right?

Jason: 00:02:23

So that was my, um, that was my thing.

Jason: 00:02:25

So I went, I was in the front of the camera a lot.

Jason: 00:02:28

Um, all through junior high high school.

Jason: 00:02:29

I just actually, um.

Jason: 00:02:32

I was Facebooking with an old, old friend of mine who used to take VHS tapes of all of our youth groups, all of our skits, all of our things.

Jason: 00:02:40

So he's got some black material on me in front of the camera.

Jason: 00:02:44

Of course.

Jason: 00:02:45

Uh, I looked a a bit different back in the day.

Jason: 00:02:48

I was just a, a, a young and, and athletic and, and all those kind of things.

Jason: 00:02:53

Um.

Jason: 00:02:54

So we, we had a great conversation just reminiscing about that, that season of life.

Jason: 00:02:59

but those were the things, like my friend and I, we would up, we would do skits till four in the morning and just make up stuff like, okay.

Jason: 00:03:05

And just random.

Jason: 00:03:06

Um, I have a really, really great actor friend.

Jason: 00:03:09

Um, and we just would, we'd find a scene and we'd play with it.

Jason: 00:03:12

We'd work with it, we'd work on it.

Jason: 00:03:14

Um, but by like 80, I wanna say 88, I'm so dating myself, which I'm okay with now.

Jason: 00:03:21

By, uh, like 19 88, 89, I really was like, okay, I gotta get a good camera.

Jason: 00:03:28

I, I, I wanna start, you know, doing film or, or whatever.

Jason: 00:03:32

Um, and then I got into high school and I happened to have one of the best speech and communications instructors that you could ever ask for.

Jason: 00:03:39

His name is Mac Bledsoe, and he is the father of Drew Bledsoe, who is the, uh.

Jason: 00:03:44

Famous football player.

Jason: 00:03:46

Um, really famous because Tom Brady took his job.

Jason: 00:03:49

Um, but Drew, was just two years older than I was.

Jason: 00:03:51

He went to school with my, he was at the same age as my brother, but Mack Bledsoe, his dad was a phenomenal communicator, phenomenal leader.

Jason: 00:03:59

Um, also like a high school football coach as well.

Jason: 00:04:02

But, but Mac, um.

Jason: 00:04:06

He started grading me on my potential and not grading me just because I was a really good communicator.

Jason: 00:04:11

It pissed me off at first, but then he was like, Hey, you're only gonna get better if you're grading to, that, which I think you can do.

Jason: 00:04:18

Um, and so that was like year one.

Jason: 00:04:20

It was definitely like a, like a karate kid kind of experience where it's like.

Jason: 00:04:26

I found my Mr. Miyagi only this guy was six five and a cowboy.

Jason: 00:04:30

And so, but incredible communicator and, um, and so he opened another door for me, which was, he got the school to buy in to doing video announcements.

Jason: 00:04:41

This is 91, 92, 90 uh, about that age.

Jason: 00:04:43

So it's still VHS maybe Hi eight started coming out.

Jason: 00:04:48

Gosh, that's, that's where my journey began.

Jason: 00:04:50

And we started the first, like, well, it was the first on campus, like, um, kind of like waha news or, or just, you know.

Jason: 00:04:58

What's going on, what's happening?

Jason: 00:05:00

And I would do, again, a lot of the front of the camera, but that's where I learned, I started learning back of camera.

Jason: 00:05:05

'cause it was us, it was me and one other guy.

Jason: 00:05:07

So we had to just run and gun.

Jason: 00:05:09

And it was like, here, we didn't have lighting, we just tried to get good lighting, right?

Jason: 00:05:13

But man, I got the, I got the bug and I, I loved it.

Jason: 00:05:16

and wanted to do that, just, you know, however I could.

Jason: 00:05:21

The problem back then though, was editing was a pain.

Jason: 00:05:23

You were either doing VHS to VHS and then it looked like crap.

Jason: 00:05:27

So fast forward a little bit.

Jason: 00:05:29

you know, things get better, technology gets better.

Jason: 00:05:31

But, but in the meantime, I, I, get into the ministry, I, um, uh, I was gonna go to Northwest Bible College in, in Seattle, and Kirkland got accepted and, for various reasons, and a mom who really hears from the Lord, who's just like.

Jason: 00:05:44

We can't put you in that much debt.

Jason: 00:05:46

Like, I'm kind of probably grateful now for

Jason: 00:05:48

that, but it changed my path and so I, I ended up working for the airlines, but then, um, but then connecting with an incredible church body called the City Church with Wendell and Jenny Smith.

Jason: 00:06:00

With Juda Smith, who, who now is,

Jason: 00:06:02

kind of all over

Jason: 00:06:03

the place.

Geoff: 00:06:03

So you were in Washington state?

Jason: 00:06:05

Seattle.

Jason: 00:06:06

Yeah, Walla Walla was my hometown.

Jason: 00:06:08

Graduated from there.

Jason: 00:06:09

Literally went up to Seattle and I kind of had a couple years there where I was like, kind of ticked that I wasn't able to go to the college I wanted to go to.

Jason: 00:06:17

So I was definitely prodigal because Prodigal was actually wasteful

Jason: 00:06:22

living.

Jason: 00:06:23

And um, and then I was invited to a place where my.

Jason: 00:06:28

future wife, her and her friends had started going and I was like, man, I've been to so many churches.

Jason: 00:06:33

They're all the same.

Jason: 00:06:34

They're, you know, it's all the same stuff.

Jason: 00:06:35

But I went that night in October, so literally thir 30 years ago, 31 years

Jason: 00:06:40

ago, uh, October, and met the most incredible pastors, Steve and Tavi Carpenter.

Jason: 00:06:47

And then the next week was Juda and Becky.

Jason: 00:06:49

But from that moment on, my life was never the same.

Jason: 00:06:52

my life has just elevated.

Jason: 00:06:55

Eventually got on staff as a, as a children's pastor, as a middle school pastor, you know, fifth grade to about eighth grade.

Jason: 00:07:01

And we just loved on those kids.

Jason: 00:07:03

But I used video all the time before it was even something cool to do.

Jason: 00:07:08

And then I started doing bigger church projects.

Jason: 00:07:11

And then, between that and being a janitor, which I'm very proud of, by the way, I think every young pastor should.

Jason: 00:07:19

Clean floors, toilets and those kind of things.

Jason: 00:07:22

Um, there's something supernatural about that.

Jason: 00:07:25

I'll actually try not to cry because that, um, that was probably life changing more than anything else was that moment in time.

Jason: 00:07:32

And

Jason: 00:07:33

so, um.

Jason: 00:07:34

when the media director at the time had to leave, they tapped me to come in because they were like, you use video more than anybody else.

Jason: 00:07:40

So.

Jason: 00:07:40

can you come be the media director?

Jason: 00:07:42

So, I gotta work directly with, pastor Wendell and Jenny Smith.

Jason: 00:07:45

they were already my bosses for, for eight years, so, um, it was easy, but uh, it was also a massive demand.

Jason: 00:07:53

So here's the thing about.

Jason: 00:07:54

Church media, it is such a great experience.

Jason: 00:07:58

It allows you to become a producer.

Jason: 00:08:00

And I want to define that, early on in this conversation because a lot of people are like, ah, I'm doing this.

Jason: 00:08:05

I'm doing this.

Jason: 00:08:06

Back in the day you would do like a DVD, right?

Jason: 00:08:09

And you'd burn it onto DVD or you'd burn it onto another tape So I would say, show me your box.

Jason: 00:08:13

Show me your box of DVDs, or Show me your DVDs before websites, right?

Jason: 00:08:18

And then it became websites.

Jason: 00:08:19

Show me what you've done.

Jason: 00:08:21

Show me what you finished.

Jason: 00:08:22

And I think the coolest thing about church media to all those church media directors, and I just talked with another media director, uh, last week is.

Jason: 00:08:32

Done.

Jason: 00:08:33

Like done is better than perfect.

Jason: 00:08:35

Um, you have a short timeline.

Jason: 00:08:37

You know, you have to rely on grace and people doing, uh, what they, it is gathering, right?

Jason: 00:08:42

It's gathering, it's encouraging.

Jason: 00:08:44

It's, fast paced, but you have to have something done, whether you have a week or two weeks or three days or the night before.

Jason: 00:08:52

'cause that's a real thing.

Jason: 00:08:53

But That's why I am who I am today.

Jason: 00:08:56

One of the skill sets that I learned early on, especially from being on staff at, so just to clarify, We started at City Church when it was 350 people in 1994.

Jason: 00:09:08

It grew before, by the time we left, it was at 5,000.

Jason: 00:09:11

And that was, so we, we, yeah, so big, big growth.

Jason: 00:09:16

And so seeing that, doing that, and it just, you only run faster.

Jason: 00:09:20

You only go higher.

Jason: 00:09:21

You only, yeah, there's things, it's called burnout, but I think if you, if, if you learn how to just know where your source is, right?

Jason: 00:09:27

it's not your pastor, Jesus is your source.

Jason: 00:09:30

and again, I say all that because that shaped who I became.

Jason: 00:09:33

Um, but in 2001, as we were, uh.

Jason: 00:09:36

Contemplating like heading south.

Jason: 00:09:38

We ended up going to Vegas, but I created B Blue Eye Productions and uh, my daughter was born and I was like, okay, I wanna start doing this thing.

Jason: 00:09:46

Right.

Jason: 00:09:46

Well, that's when it all started.

Jason: 00:09:49

And I had worked closely with, uh, a good friend of mine, Larry Ostrom, who has been an editor, was, was an editor both with church staff and, and other things.

Jason: 00:09:57

But what we found really quickly was that I was really great with people.

Jason: 00:10:02

In camera and also kind of gathering business.

Jason: 00:10:05

And then he was great with all the tech stuff and you know, the shooting, the lighting.

Jason: 00:10:10

And then so we kind of came together and formed Blue Eye Productions and, um,

Geoff: 00:10:14

He's still working with you today.

Jason: 00:10:16

Yeah.

Jason: 00:10:16

Yeah.

Jason: 00:10:17

Uh, we, we've, we've done several projects together.

Jason: 00:10:20

he's got a great skill set with some special effects and graphics and motion graphics and stuff.

Jason: 00:10:25

So I always tap him when I have that kind of need.

Jason: 00:10:27

But What was cool about that is that, um, again, we just kept getting better and God is good and...

Jason: 00:10:34

I tell you, whatever you focus on comes true.

Jason: 00:10:36

So we began to focus on corporate productions and I got into T-Mobile.

Jason: 00:10:41

A door opened was one door.

Jason: 00:10:43

It was one simple video.

Jason: 00:10:45

That simple video allowed me to, over the course of the next 10 or 12 years, make a million dollars, you know, from one company.

Geoff: 00:10:53

Big customer.

Jason: 00:10:54

Yeah.

Jason: 00:10:55

Um, and that you leveraged that big mega company and I mean, that was Catherine Zeta- Jones.

Jason: 00:11:00

That was way back in the day.

Jason: 00:11:01

Right.

Jason: 00:11:01

Um, but you leveraged that company and then you get into the Microsofts and then you get into Amazon and then you, we, we were inside Facebook right when they took over, uh, in Menlo Park.

Jason: 00:11:11

And, um, and you get all these opportunities and then you just, you know, you build from that.

Jason: 00:11:17

And for that, and I've met incredible people along the way.

Jason: 00:11:21

But then that entire time I'm like, gosh, this is great.

Jason: 00:11:25

This is fun.

Jason: 00:11:26

And you know, putting some money in my pocket, you know, raising my girls and my kids and, and then it's like, but what is my calling?

Jason: 00:11:33

And

Geoff: 00:11:33

California by this point?

Geoff: 00:11:35

I know you said first you

Geoff: 00:11:36

moved to Las

Jason: 00:11:37

yeah.

Jason: 00:11:38

So we, we moved to Vegas and I realized I didn't want to, um, I didn't wanna raise my kids in Vegas, so I started making, plans.

Jason: 00:11:45

So my last, my daughter ju was born in Vegas the day after we moved to California.

Jason: 00:11:49

I had already taken another media director job.

Jason: 00:11:53

Um.

Jason: 00:11:53

Thank God for the church.

Jason: 00:11:54

I love the church.

Jason: 00:11:55

I've paid my dues and did my time and, and I forever will be grateful for that.

Jason: 00:12:00

And, uh, it's opened a lot of doors.

Jason: 00:12:02

Um, I'm still working for the church, still doing some really cool stuff, but we get to California and I, I'll say this probably a few times, but whatever you focus on.

Jason: 00:12:10

It comes true.

Jason: 00:12:12

So if you're focusing on the things that didn't happen or haven't happened for you, that's gonna be where you're gonna be at.

Jason: 00:12:19

If you focus on the things that you want and or you be wanna become, those things come true and every time you put emotion or you do something to that effect, it's only going to grow.

Jason: 00:12:32

It's only gonna get better.

Jason: 00:12:34

so I began to focus on coming to.

Jason: 00:12:37

Hollywood and, we moved outside the city and then eventually found our place, our home in Agorua Hills, California, and.

Jason: 00:12:44

proximity is power.

Jason: 00:12:45

I, I'm gonna say a few things, but proximity is power.

Jason: 00:12:48

So we, oddly enough moved to like producer central area, uh, very large Jewish community.

Jason: 00:12:55

And, um, a lot of film producer, TV producers lived out in the area that we landed in, and our kids all got into school.

Jason: 00:13:01

And so.

Jason: 00:13:03

I mean, my daughters were going to school with some pretty cool people.

Jason: 00:13:06

One of those people was Dean Holland, who was, um, an editor on the office and, um, and ended up becoming buddies with him and, a couple other, people.

Jason: 00:13:18

And that just began to open doors.

Jason: 00:13:21

Um, had done a couple things in Hollywood.

Jason: 00:13:23

I, I even tried to act a little bit, but, um.

Jason: 00:13:27

I think I just fell so much in love with being on the other side of the camera that I, I'll step in, I've done a couple of small things, fun things.

Jason: 00:13:34

I've done training videos where I'm like, uh, I'm the idiot.

Jason: 00:13:36

Right?

Jason: 00:13:37

and so acting still kind of a passion, but again, the next thing to the next thing, to the next thing, and what happened was doors begin to open and.

Jason: 00:13:47

You, you walk through them with as much confidence as, as much, much gumption as you can and, and a door open to work with some of those guys that have made some of the best television a planet.

Geoff: 00:14:00

So in the meantime, you're primarily doing commercial work or maybe even totally doing

Geoff: 00:14:04

commercial work.

Geoff: 00:14:05

When did narrative or film start to weave into there?

Jason: 00:14:09

Yeah, great question.

Jason: 00:14:10

You brought me right to where I needed to be.

Jason: 00:14:12

So at that point, yeah, I'd been doing the T-Mobile's, the Microsoft and startups and all, you know, everything corporate that you could imagine.

Jason: 00:14:18

We've done it.

Jason: 00:14:19

Marketing, um, product placements, all those kind of things.

Jason: 00:14:23

and then these doors begin to open with like NBC, universal and working with some of these guys.

Jason: 00:14:30

Again, did the office, Mike Shore and Morgan Sackett and some of these guys who have been around for a while and have done some really, really great things.

Jason: 00:14:37

So what was cool after working with all these guys, I was like, okay, God, this is awesome.

Jason: 00:14:41

You, you're opening this door.

Jason: 00:14:43

I'm gonna get in television, I'm gonna able to direct or, you know, whatever.

Jason: 00:14:46

I'm gonna, I'm gonna get a show.

Jason: 00:14:47

I'm gonna, you know, you're opening these doors, right?

Jason: 00:14:50

Uh, because we were working with them in casting and all the super, super cool.

Jason: 00:14:54

I'm extremely blessed to have that.

Jason: 00:14:56

It's like going into masterclass, working with these incredible, you know, producers

Jason: 00:15:00

and then about.

Jason: 00:15:01

I wanna say 2021, 22, COVID, post COVID.

Jason: 00:15:05

I really started seeking God more than I ever had.

Jason: 00:15:08

I had done some major things to like get my life and be the best version of myself.

Jason: 00:15:14

And then, uh, it hit me one day.

Jason: 00:15:15

It's like, what kind of stories do you want to tell?

Jason: 00:15:17

And I was reading in Matthew, and you know, the part where the, the disciples are like, why do you tell stories all the time?

Jason: 00:15:24

he's like, so people can understand like the kingdom of God is unbelievable.

Jason: 00:15:28

So I have to tell stories and parables and, and analogies and things to help people understand.

Jason: 00:15:34

And he is the greatest storyteller.

Jason: 00:15:36

His story is the best, but he's the best storyteller ever.

Jason: 00:15:39

And uh, the Lord just said, Hey, What kind of stories do you wanna tell?

Jason: 00:15:43

And so then I was on a quest, and this is where Jaclyn comes in.

Jason: 00:15:46

So I was on a quest it is crazy.

Jason: 00:15:48

I live in LA basically, I mean northwest LA.

Jason: 00:15:52

Um, and I started asking all my writers friends like, Hey, do you have 10 pages?

Jason: 00:15:57

Do you have 20 page?

Jason: 00:15:58

Do you have a short film?

Jason: 00:15:59

Do you want something?

Jason: 00:15:59

'cause I, I needed to make something as a narrative.

Jason: 00:16:02

I needed to show my

Jason: 00:16:03

skill.

Jason: 00:16:04

And we did a lot of great stuff in corporate and we told stories in there, but it's just

Jason: 00:16:08

different.

Jason: 00:16:09

cause you're, it's a different language.

Jason: 00:16:11

And so Pray, pray.

Jason: 00:16:13

and then I got started getting scripts and they were just like, gross.

Jason: 00:16:17

They, they just weren't good.

Jason: 00:16:18

They were just like, oh, I've seen that movie.

Jason: 00:16:21

I, I've seen that movie.

Jason: 00:16:22

Now you're just changing this and doing that.

Jason: 00:16:24

Like, you know, and it just, it was like, okay.

Jason: 00:16:27

And praying, praying, praying.

Jason: 00:16:28

And then, um.

Jason: 00:16:30

Jaclyn and I got on a call because this other guy has a real life story that he wanted told, and she was working on that and we got on a call and then I realized that she was faith based, and then we just kind of connected.

Jason: 00:16:44

I was like, let's have a chat.

Jason: 00:16:45

And so we chatted and she's like, oh, I have like 10 scripts.

Jason: 00:16:48

And I think the first, one of the first ones that she sent me was like, Junk Man.

Jason: 00:16:53

And I was like, okay, this is good.

Jason: 00:16:55

This, this is a good script.

Jason: 00:16:57

Anyway, you know, a couple months go by and then she sent me a few more and I was like, okay, she can write.

Jason: 00:17:01

This is, this is good.

Jason: 00:17:02

And then we're trying to work on this other project.

Jason: 00:17:04

And then, um, and then I think I, I like almost a whole year, 'cause we were bouncing between a working with this guy and doing some of the things.

Jason: 00:17:11

And she

Jason: 00:17:11

had some stuff and, but I liked because she was a doer.

Jason: 00:17:15

She was getting some things done.

Jason: 00:17:17

And I think this was all before fa uh, faf Associates too.

Jason: 00:17:20

I think.

Jason: 00:17:20

I think it was all before

Geoff: 00:17:21

Yeah.

Geoff: 00:17:22

Well we might have started, but um.

Geoff: 00:17:26

Yeah, we started on a different scale than where we are right now.

Geoff: 00:17:28

We didn't have the membership and the meetups and whatnot, so

Jason: 00:17:31

yeah,

Jason: 00:17:31

so eventually what happened is I got connected with this book author, book authors, and, um, and they wrote the book Ripple.

Jason: 00:17:40

And it was like, again, I, my thing with God was like, I, I'm, I want to be a faith.

Jason: 00:17:46

I wanna tell your story, but it can't be, it can't be, no offense, pure flix, right?

Jason: 00:17:51

cause my life, if people knew my full story, it's like, dude, what the heck?

Jason: 00:17:55

Right?

Jason: 00:17:55

Like, he's a real God with real, you know, redeeming powers and, and things and, and real raw redemptive, right?

Jason: 00:18:01

So when I found this story ripple, it just was

Jason: 00:18:04

cool.

Jason: 00:18:05

Like, it, it felt like something I could do.

Jason: 00:18:07

It's a rockstar gone bad, right?

Jason: 00:18:09

with the power of redemption because he has a moment with God and it changes his life and then his life, ripples and I, and I hope we can tell that full story, but in the process, Book writers aren't

Jason: 00:18:19

screenwriters, um, as talented as people are and stuff and so that's where Jaclyn got involved.

Jason: 00:18:23

I was like, can you do 10 pages or, I think the writers did something.

Jason: 00:18:27

And then I had Jaclyn come in and it just, it all came together after Jaclyn put her footprint or fingerprints on there.

Jason: 00:18:33

Probably more fingerprints than it's footprints.

Jason: 00:18:35

And we got that made and that was awesome.

Jason: 00:18:37

And, um,

Geoff: 00:18:39

that won quite a few awards I believe.

Geoff: 00:18:41

a, as a proof of concept or as a short film, which we made as a proof of concept.

Jason: 00:18:44

Yes.

Jason: 00:18:45

Yeah.

Jason: 00:18:46

And that's, that's exactly what happened.

Jason: 00:18:47

And that has been part of the, um, part of the learning of all this is like, you're always kind of a year, eight months to a year behind schedule in, in one sense.

Jason: 00:18:58

Like, we made that in the summer of 2024 and we really didn't see any kind of traction on it until the summer of, um.

Jason: 00:19:08

This summer 2025 and we did Hard Faith.

Jason: 00:19:11

We won best Short at Hard Faith, and Demetrius won.

Jason: 00:19:14

So yeah, we got four awards out of 12 that we were up for, but just that was really cool.

Jason: 00:19:20

And then in the process, again, you do the next right thing.

Jason: 00:19:23

Um, you keep falling forward, and then you just learn.

Geoff: 00:19:28

So, um, I just wanna point out that.

Geoff: 00:19:31

There's another, little piece to the story there, because your main character in Ripple was Willie Mellina, and you met Willie through one of the faf table reads of, Jacqueline's script of um, a Junk Man, which you mentioned a minute

Jason: 00:19:44

Yeah, yeah.

Jason: 00:19:46

Yeah.

Jason: 00:19:47

That is a, that's a great story.

Jason: 00:19:48

And that's really where everything kicked in.

Jason: 00:19:51

'cause I wanna do a shout out to somebody else as well.

Jason: 00:19:54

um, gene Weger from, uh, Uh, why am I treasure coach?

Jason: 00:20:00

Thank you so much.

Jason: 00:20:01

Um, Jean was awesome.

Jason: 00:20:03

Okay, so great story.

Jason: 00:20:05

And if anybody's out there listening to this, which I hope they are, but it's important to do table reads especially.

Jason: 00:20:11

So whether you're supporting the writer, whether you're as an actor, just do table reads.

Jason: 00:20:15

It's a, it's it's work.

Jason: 00:20:16

It's, it's getting in reps. I can't even encourage people, and I know table reads aren't supposed to be your craft, but play, play a little bit.

Jason: 00:20:22

Like stay on track, don't be a distraction, but, but play.

Jason: 00:20:26

So this is an amazing story because again, Jaclyn and I, like a year before she had sent me Junk Man and then, um, I circled back.

Jason: 00:20:36

I was like, Hey, I remember one that I like.

Jason: 00:20:38

It was a biker thing.

Jason: 00:20:39

She's so, she's like, oh yeah.

Jason: 00:20:40

And hey, we did a table read like two months ago.

Jason: 00:20:42

I was like, well, send it to me.

Jason: 00:20:43

And I'm like, what am I gonna get off a table read?

Jason: 00:20:45

But I'm like, ah, at least it'll be a fun way to go through the script.

Jason: 00:20:49

uh, again, focus on finding focused on the next step, focused on doing the next thing that, uh, and, and.

Jason: 00:20:56

My whole progress also with, okay, God, I'm gonna tell you your story, but I'm gonna need an actor that I believe in that can, that can hold it like a he a A a heath ledger type, right?

Jason: 00:21:06

Somebody who's super talented, super free and the camera captivates 'em.

Jason: 00:21:11

That was like my request.

Jason: 00:21:13

Well, I get on this table read and this, uh.

Jason: 00:21:17

The thing hasn't, has just barely started.

Jason: 00:21:19

They're doing introductions and I see this guy and he's just like, he's just fidgeting and looking off camera and coming back into camera.

Jason: 00:21:26

But I was like, 15 seconds in, I'm like, who's this guy?

Jason: 00:21:30

I just read like Willie Willie something.

Jason: 00:21:33

I'm like, okay, well, 9, 10, 12 pages in.

Jason: 00:21:36

He doesn't even come in till like 20 minutes into a, into a thing.

Jason: 00:21:40

He ends up being the lead character.

Geoff: 00:21:43

and if anybody's wondering about the lead character coming in 9 10, 12 h in, it's because he was a, child in the first part, and then he came in as an adult.

Geoff: 00:21:50

So Willie, uh, the character as an adult was Willie.

Jason: 00:21:53

Yeah.

Jason: 00:21:54

And, uh, so it was a trip and then he just killed, he just, he slayed the whole thing.

Jason: 00:21:59

And I don't even think I got halfway through and when he started showing up, I was like, oh, okay.

Jason: 00:22:03

He's, He's the main character.

Jason: 00:22:06

I called Jaclyn, or I text Jaclyn.

Jason: 00:22:08

I was like, who's this guy and how do I get ahold of him?

Jason: 00:22:11

Because I already had Ripple in my hand.

Jason: 00:22:13

I was like, I think I just found my actor.

Jason: 00:22:15

Um, and then I, I did the IMDB thing and he's got singing on there.

Jason: 00:22:19

He is got dancing, he's got, Willie's talented.

Jason: 00:22:21

That dude is crazy talented.

Jason: 00:22:24

so Jaclyn's like, oh, you need to get in contact with Jean Treasure Coast.

Jason: 00:22:28

So I did.

Jason: 00:22:29

40 minute conversation with Jean.

Jason: 00:22:31

By the end of the conversation, we get Willie.

Jason: 00:22:34

He was working on the chosen at the time and he was able to get the time off that we needed.

Jason: 00:22:38

And then Gene was like, who else are you looking for?

Jason: 00:22:41

I was like, I kind of need like a God or a, or a Jesus type.

Jason: 00:22:45

And she's like, how about Demetrius Troy?

Jason: 00:22:48

And I'm like.

Jason: 00:22:49

Who's Demetrius Troy?

Jason: 00:22:51

'cause I wasn't really a chosen follower, but I had heard this already.

Jason: 00:22:55

I had heard that the Lazarus storyline was incredible.

Jason: 00:22:59

I had heard that a few times for friends.

Jason: 00:23:01

So then when she said that, that he plays Lazarus on the Chosen, and I was like.

Jason: 00:23:06

let's do this.

Jason: 00:23:06

And then that man, that guy is just, that, that guy's a whole nother level.

Jason: 00:23:11

I, I love him so much.

Jason: 00:23:13

We have become brothers.

Jason: 00:23:14

Same with Willie.

Jason: 00:23:14

we, we all three ended up working on our project together.

Jason: 00:23:17

But Demitrius takes whatever he does seriously.

Jason: 00:23:20

Uh, we had a 40 minute phone conversation and after that 40 minute phone conversation, he, he agreed to do Ripple.

Geoff: 00:23:27

N o doubt starting to move into your first narrative type projects, you learned a lot in that, but you brought to the table already what you learned in years of creating, commercial work, including narrative stuff, woven into that commercial work.

Geoff: 00:23:43

Uh, and that really shows in Ripple.

Geoff: 00:23:47

I mean, it shows that you're not just a first time filmmaker figuring it out as you go.

Jason: 00:23:51

Yeah.

Jason: 00:23:51

Interestingly enough, we made that in two days.

Jason: 00:23:54

Um, and it, you know, it was only a 12 minute thing.

Jason: 00:23:56

It could have been a 20 minute short, easily.

Jason: 00:23:58

We had a whole piano scene.

Jason: 00:24:00

We had, we had shot some really, really good stuff all in two days, but I just felt like shorter is better.

Jason: 00:24:07

And I had been to a couple of film festivals where it's like, oh my gosh, you could, you, you could have been.

Jason: 00:24:13

Again, I don't wanna speak down to anybody, and that's why I would never name names.

Jason: 00:24:16

But like you, you were done with your story about 10 minutes ago, or you could have

Geoff: 00:24:21

Yeah.

Geoff: 00:24:22

Chances are if you condense and make things concise, it's gonna be clearer It's the same with everything.

Geoff: 00:24:28

It's the same with screenplays.

Geoff: 00:24:29

Uh, any same with marketing.

Geoff: 00:24:31

When you can narrow down your words and do it again and do it again, the more you condense it, usually the more clear it becomes.

Jason: 00:24:38

One hundred percent.

Geoff: 00:24:39

So, uh, you, if I'm not mistaken, you've used Willie in more than one project.

Jason: 00:24:43

yeah, absolutely.

Jason: 00:24:44

So Willie and I, we are three projects in one and the, the project in between.

Jason: 00:24:51

Um, ripple and again, both Willie and Demetrius won awards for acting, uh, best, best actor and best a supporting actor, which so deserved.

Jason: 00:25:02

Um, and then Demetrius worked on this one as well, but we did Hidden Women of Jesus for Rin Bakker, which was again, a book.

Jason: 00:25:10

and so Willie was an associate producer on that one.

Jason: 00:25:13

We shot that last December.

Jason: 00:25:15

then I invited Willie back again for this next project that, that we're super excited about, Bible College.

Geoff: 00:25:21

Well, we're

Geoff: 00:25:21

gonna talk about Bible College, as we get into the next episode 'cause we've run out of time.

Geoff: 00:25:27

Bible College is pretty exciting, uh, coming up for the Premier, uh, first showing at Hard Faith Festival in December in New York City.

Geoff: 00:25:35

So, uh, we're all looking forward to being there for that.

Geoff: 00:25:40

But we're gonna get into some of the details about, how that came to be.

Geoff: 00:25:44

And, uh, the whole process, lessons learned as we get into the next episode.

Geoff: 00:25:48

So, Jason, thank you so much for sharing your background and your history, uh, with us today and what's led up to this point.

Geoff: 00:25:55

'cause that's always very insightful and inspiring and, we look forward to hearing more in just a little bit.

Jason: 00:26:01

Awesome.