Joe Jennings Jr

Joe

Jennings Jr

Photo credit: @blakematic

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do?

A. Thank you so much for the opportunity! My name is Joe

Jennings, Jr. and I am a filmmaker/screenwriter from

Atlanta, Georgia. My Production

Partner, Sean Freelon and I are

Indie Filmmakers who’ve made two award-winning shorts: ‘A Leg

Up’ & ‘Change.’ Our new film,

‘#ISFJ,’ began its festival circuit this summer.

Q. What made you pursue filmmaking?

A. I’ve been a writer since middle school. In college, I wanted to be an author, but after I picked up a book called “Screenplay by Syd Field,” I decided I’d give screenwriting a try, and I never looked back.

We’ve always been screenwriters at heart, but we started making films because it’s easier to get people to watch films than it is to read scripts (laughs).

Q. Tell us about your company

“Blinded By Ambition” and the motivation behind it?

A. When Sean and I started out, we were riddled with “no’s” and doubters who wouldn’t give us a shot or offer their support. So, we quickly had to learn how to be resilient and strong-minded in order to keep our dream alive.

It was very tough because we didn’t have a lot of money and we always had one foot in the streets, barely making rent in a very expensive Los Angeles housing market (we lived separately). But we were both very ambitious and hell bent on making it at the time, so the name seemed to be fitting to our persevering mentality. No matter what the obstacle was, we kept going, and used every resource we had to make our projects.

Q. Which film has inspired you the most?

A. Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ inspired me the most, content wise, because I had never seen a racially explosive film like that before. I was ten years old when it was released, and I hadn’t yet been exposed to racism firsthand, so it left a huge impression on me as a storyteller. It inspired me to write strong, honest dialogue about things that are actually taking place in the world. I actually wrote ‘A Leg Up’ with ‘Do The Right Thing’ in the back of my head.

Q. Can you tell us more details about the film, #ISFJ?

A. #ISFJ is a romantic comedy that follows Drex, a “romantic” who is hanging out with his wife, Carla, and his best friends Chris and

Fred at a lounge on a Friday

Night. The conversation revolves around the woes of being 30 and dating on social media, versus the old school way of meeting someone in person. A major secret gets out, and all hell breaks loose. And that’s all I can tell you!!! (laughs)

"Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing' inspired me the most, content wise, because I had never seen a racially explosive film like that before."

Q. If you had the opportunity to remake a classic, which one would you go for?

A. I was always a huge John

Hughes fan, so I would take a stab at ‘The Breakfast Club.’

You have five high school students that were from all walks of life that were figuring out their differences in Saturday detention. Thirty-five years later, we have so many more social issues kids deal with today, and

I think it’s important to confront them with all that’s going on in today’s society. I believe as a society; we all can treat each other better.

Q. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

A. We hope to be making features as well as possibly writing for a television series. I would also like to travel the world and collaborate with filmmakers from other countries. Primarily London and

South Africa, due to the friends we’ve made there over the years.

Q. In your opinion, what is the most important quality of a film director?

A. A director has to get everyone involved with the project on the same page, creatively. It’s not just about yelling “cut” and asking an actor to “say it this way, or that way,” it’s his/her job to ensure that everyone shares the same vision for the project in the very beginning. That’s why chemistry built in auditions and rehearsals are vital to the filmmaking process.

Q. Are you working on any new events or upcoming projects?

A. Yes. We are working on a music video for upcoming Atlanta artist, SayNate. I’m also working on another feature-length screenplay.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. Please follow me on

Instagram @joejenningsjr and our Blinded by Ambition account: @bba_ent.