We recently connected with Jeffrie Favianny and have shared our conversation below.

Jeffrie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving the corporate world to pursue life as a full-time creative.
As the eldest of four and an immigrant, I carried a heavy, self-imposed pressure to “make it” in the most traditional sense—by going to a top university and landing a prestigious job. And I did. I went to the #1 public university in the country, UC Berkeley, and then joined what was, at the time, the #1 tech company in the world: Google.

It was the immigrant dream realized—and on the surface, I had arrived. But deep down, I had only succeeded in a pursuit, not a passion. For five and a half years, I climbed the corporate ladder, only to discover it was leaning against the wrong wall.

The turning point came in 2024 when I was laid off during mass company cuts. At first, I was devastated. But then I took a hard look at myself—at my mental state, my energy, my spirit. The truth was, the job had ended, but my desire for that path had quietly died long before. I was burned out, uninspired, and too drained to give anything meaningful to the passions I had shelved: acting, writing, and directing.

I always imagined I could balance both—my corporate role and my creative calling—but it was like trying to fill two large glasses from the same small pitcher of water. Neither was ever full.

So I chose the risk. I chose the dream I had postponed for years—the one I kept promising I’d “circle back to” once I made enough money. Today, I’m a signed actor, model, and writer. I’m developing films that give voice to stories I once tucked away in my desk drawer between project deadlines and email threads.

I do miss the camaraderie and predictability of corporate life. But I’ve traded stability for soul. And while it’s risky to leave something great behind, I now live with the faith and fortitude to chase something greater—where my pursuit and my passion are finally one and the same.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jeffrie Favianny, and I’m in pursuit of the extraordinary. I’m a classically trained dancer, actor, commercial model, writer, and director—and above all, a storyteller who believes in the power of emotionally honest art to disrupt, inspire, and transform.

I’m the founder of Favianny Films, a soon-to-be-launched indie digital studio focused on bold, coming-of-age narratives. Our stories center voices that have been overlooked—stories of identity, struggle, reinvention, and the complexity of finding your place in the world. As an immigrant and a creative who was born in an unassuming world, a country that, while beautiful, is often overlooked, a land called Honduras. I know what it means to build something from the margins. That spirit fuels everything I do.

What sets Favianny Films apart is our commitment to collaboration and innovation. I work with artists across disciplines—cinematographers, vocalists, designers, poets—to create immersive, emotionally layered works. But I don’t just want to make films—I want to reimagine how we experience them. Imagine sets repurposed as living art or travel destinations. Imagine choosing your own narrative path in a movie and seeing a different ending than someone else. Imagine keeping those characters you adore on an AI-powered app that you could engage with. That’s the kind of boundary-breaking, participatory cinema I envision.

I’m most proud of staying true to my calling despite pressure to play it safe. I left a stable, high-paying job at Google to pursue my creative path full-time. That leap wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. Now, as a filmmaker, I’m building something that’s not just about me—it’s about many who feel the same way. About all the creatives, dreamers, and viewers who crave something deeper and newer.

Favianny Films isn’t just a studio. It’s ushering in a new movement. One that invites you to experience story in new ways, and maybe even find yourself in the frame.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivoting from the corporate world to the creative world has been the most challenging and costly decision of my life—financially, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually.

I left a high-performing career—working at Google, with a background that included the Army, Oxford, and Berkeley—to pursue a full-time life as an actor, writer, and filmmaker. While there have been beautiful moments and exciting wins, the transition has also come with a wilderness season I didn’t fully anticipate. The modern world is saturated with content and competition. Stepping away from a steady paycheck into a space where you don’t know when your next booking will come is not just risky—it’s disorienting and at times, debilitating.

To bridge the gap, I tried applying for retail jobs. But I was turned away time and time again—not because I wasn’t qualified, but because my résumé made employers believe I was overqualified. Ironically, I now find myself in a strange middle space: too creative for corporate, too corporate for service roles. Since making this pivot, I’ve applied to over 530 jobs and had 43 interviews—and still, no offers. As of May 2025, it will be one full year of unemployment.

But here’s the essence of these trials: I’ve stopped chasing corporate success for fulfillment. I’m no longer trying to “make it” in a career I don’t love. If I return to a traditional job, it will be with one purpose—to fund my films and artistic vision. My heart is now fully in the creative arena. The goal isn’t to climb—it’s to create.

This pivot has tested every ounce of my faith and fortitude. And while I’ve failed plenty, I’ve also grown, which I believe is cosmically hilarious since “Favianny” means “noble growth”. Anywho, my identity isn’t in a title or paycheck anymore—it’s in my resilience, in the stories I tell, and in the community I hope to impact through my art.

No matter how this journey unfolds, I know this season is building something inside me that no resume ever could: character, clarity, and conviction.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the most important lessons I’ve had to unlearn—or maybe relearn—is this: I am successful simply because I’m trying.

For most of my adult life, I equated success with external achievements: maxing out my 401K, receiving promotions, earning bonuses, or even watching someone’s face light up when I mentioned my background in tech or academia. I believed success had a checklist—and I was checking every box.

But when I left the corporate world and found myself unemployed for the first time in my adult life, that definition began to unravel, and I was spiraling alongside the way. Suddenly, I had no title, no team, no steady paycheck, and no insurance, which, if you live in America, you know how anxiety-inducing this can be.I merely had just a vision and a calling toward a creative life—one that didn’t come with guarantees, metrics or a blueprint. And that’s when the real unlearning began.

Through prayer, solitude, and more rejection than I’d like to admit, I’m beginning to understand success not as a position or podium but as a posture. That showing up—despite fear, doubt, and financial strain—is a victory in itself. My faith in God has played a huge role in this. I believe this “trial and tribulation era” has allowed for me to remember what it means to live a purpose-driven life.

Unlearning the world’s definition of success has been painful. No, seriously, loads of tears sponsored by insecurity. But I’m still here. Still moving. Still trying—and for now, that’s more than enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeffriefavianny.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffriefavianny/

Image Credits

Photographer: Gerilyn Lisette
Creative Director & Stylist: Savannah Williams
Models: Bledar Gashi, William Wallingford, Noah Grant, Kevin Keas