Meet Jerod Willis | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jerod Willis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jerod, why did you pursue a creative career?
I always had some connection to the arts. I come from a family of very gifted individuals. My grandfather was a bass guitar player who also sang with a touring gospel group, my older cousins and uncles were all musicians, one of my uncles was a syndicated radio host in Chicago, my parents, and brother were/are actors, and my cousin is a Broadway actor. This environment allowed me to see what is possible with the power of one’s creativity. It also showed me the work ethic it takes to achieve one’s creative goals.

In being inspired by those who came before me I found my voice through filmmaking. The moment when I knew the film was for me came at an early age by seeing how films encompassed almost every single creative medium, into one form. The primary source of this love and recognition of film as an art form was developed as a child when my parents would take me to one-dollar movie screenings as a child. Films made me feel like I was dreaming with my eyes open.

While I did not know the impact that cinema would have on me until I was much older, the seed had been planted.
As an undergrad at Wayne State University, I learned how the camera is a weapon of change. Simultaneously, the film world went through a black renaissance with films such as Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, and Moonlight. Because of the representation within these films and the themes they explored. The combination of these events inspired me to become a filmmaker.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My creative journey has not been an easy one. With the pressures of what it takes to be a young person in today’s world choosing this path was not always one that had a clear road map. I like to think that film found me in that sense being something that always helped me in a time of need. becoming a filmmaker allowed me to express myself in ways that I couldn’t.

I was always a busy kid, my parents had me enrolled in dance lessons, choir, music lessons, and sports. With that came a sense of what it was like to express myself. Despite this, I was a very bashful child, often aloof, nervous, and told to speak up. The only time where I would break out of my shell would be with playing dress up. You could be anyone you wanted and just escape from the expectations and anxiety of the world. My parents would often allow me to use guests in the plays and skits I made up on the spot with the costumes that my mom had compiled over the years. I was directing and didn’t know it and my family was my cast and crew. I would continue to break out of my shell in middle school with theater which gave me a platform that allowed me to express myself. With that came a great deal of early success, acting then translated to public speaking, and writing poetry. At 12 years old I began to book paid speaking appearances at churches, and rallies. I also began to gain attention from agents and audition line-ups for commercials and television as well. But also around that time, I began to experience anxiety at a level that I had never experienced before.

My parents moved from our Eastside Detroit home following a lot of unfortunate circumstances that happened during that time. We moved around a bit until we landed in Troy, Michigan just before I entered high school. This move took me away from my friends whom I had known my whole life and dropped me into a completely new environment with new freedoms and norms. I began to drift away from acting and to gravitate to sports and filmmaking which helped me deal with the anxiety that came with the changes I faced. This was with a great deal of credit to Athens TV a class run by Mr. Burns at Athens High School. I was able to be myself in this class and it helped plant the seeds for what I am currently doing. Just before attending college in the summer of 2017, I struggled with the prospects of playing college football and majoring in marketing and a Division III school while at a Rams Horns with my friends who were genially excited with what their next chapter in life held for them. That was the night that I knew I had to make a change and that change was to Media studies. So I terminated my plans of playing college football and decided to spend my first year of undergrad at Central Michigan University.

In my first year at Central Michigan, I began to consume film in a new way. I began to think deeper about what I watched and took courses that fed my curiosity. I saw directors as artists who all had their unique perspectives of the world. The following year I returned to Detroit and attended Wayne State University this time deferring my attendance to DePaul University to create something special in my home town where I originally found my voice in my youth. While at Wayne State I was on a mission to learn as much as I could about media and film as an art form that combined all forms of art. I had a radio show on our school radio station called Willis on Wayne, I was a camera operator for our campus PBS show Metro Arts. While these forms of expression gave me a great deal of joy it was always my priority.

During the pandemic, I felt things began to come together in my filmmaking journey. In my final film course, I was tasked by my professor Paul to create a six-shot short film. That film was titled Miracle Whip and would go on to help me achieve the award of “Best Michigan Filmmaker” in 2021 at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and a Freep Film Festival student finalist. I would capitalize on that success by creating a film titled Sinners and Saint (2021) and holding two sold-out community screenings. This is when Mission was founded. Following that success with this newfound group won Best Fantasy” in the 2023 48-Hour Film Fest, created a short film titled 1/3 of the story directed by Mesgan Berhane, shot commercials for fashion brands, produced a short series titled Griot, and held a community artist gallery, concert, and film screening that we called The Revival in 2023. We are now working on bigger projects and growing together day by day.

With all of that said I feel my journey is one with a lot of highs and lows. It is making the most of those situations that have helped me find my calling. The things that I have touched on and those that I haven’t are all a part of what has allowed me to not only find my voice but have confidence in my vision. This would not be possible without the support of my peers, parents, brother, and extended family. I hope that the work I do in the future continues to make them proud.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
An ideal day with me in my city would go as follows.

We would start the day at the Original House of Pancakes, we would then move to Meledy’s and Memories to pick out a few records for later in the day. Following a deep dive of the record store I would go to the DIA and get lost for a few hours.

Hopefully, the IMAX located at the Detroit Science Center will be screening something cool to catch. If not (weather willing) I would take a bike ride and listen to music on the Deqiundre court, Riverfront, or Belle Isle. If at any point I get hungry throughout this, I’m stopping a Lousianna Souls Creole to grab some red beans and rice with all the meats.

To end the day I would grab dinner and drinks at the Bronx bar or Greendot Stables, followed by inviting friends or family over for a game night or movie night and possibly listen to the records I got earlier in the day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to the team that has helped me achieve my recent success, Mission. Mission is a Detroit-based filmmaking collective I founded in 2021. At Mission, we inspire, collaborate, appreciate, and uplift our community through our art. The collective is currently comprised of a handful of powerful and dedicated artists who I am proud to call my friends as well. Our members consist of Kwame Henry who is a 24-year-old cinematographer and colorist. Mesgana Berhane is a 21-year-old photographer, writer, and director. Joshua Shelly is a 21-year-old graphic artist and actor. Manny Brooks is a 21-year-old designer and Lito the music ambassador, and rapper.

These individuals are all talented artists in their own right but have the foresight to see that we are our most powerful when we work together. From the valleys of working with no budget to a failed project and 15-hour days. To the heights of festival runs, commercial deals, creative recognition, and cultivating a community that we feel reflects our generation. This team has helped me through it all. Even with the success and tribulations we are looking towards the future and are eager to begin the next chapter of our creative journey together.

Website: https://missionfilmsdetroit.wixsite.com/jerodwillis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerod._.willis/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com-jerod-willis-84549416a

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jerod_Willis

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/missiondet
FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/JerodWillis

Image Credits
Ann Arbor Film Fest(2022)- Lena Willis Mission Photo Shoot (2023)-Mesgana Berhane