We were lucky to catch up with Jerri Sher recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jerri, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Being approached by a book editor to make a movie about Green Beret, Andrew Marr’s book, Tales From the Blast Factory proved to be my most gratifying film. Exploring the cures for Traumatic brain injury and PTSD are the main subjects in this film, QUIET EXPLOSIONS: Healing the Brain, which is helping veterans, athletes and civilians worldwide. I interviewed 10 protagonists ( different ages and socio-economic backgrounds) who all suffered the same horrific symptoms and became suicidal. With the help of the pioneering doctors ,interviewed in the movie, the film shows how they have healed. Halfway through the production process, which was strictly professional at the outset; I was telling Dr. Gordon about my husband, who suffered open-heart surgery 2 decades ago and ended up with brain impairment. He asked me to bring him in and thought he might be able to help him. I asked my DP to come and follow the story even though I never expected Alan could improve or let alone be cured. Lo and behold, with Dr. Gordon’s protocols Alan continued getting better and better and he became one of our main characters. The movie then became very personal to me as well as being professional. The film has garnered 16 awards and was a qualifier in the Oscars 2 years ago for Best Documentary Feature and Best Music Score. A week of pure elation was seeing the 62 foot high billboard in Times Square NYC with a video of our protagonists for the world to see.
Jerri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Filmmaking is my 3rd career. Right out of grad school I was a college professor, teaching art in MA. My second career, I was the first female in the trucking industry in the northeast corridor. As a sales manager, I developed the freight budgets for Fortune 500 companies. Little did I know that these two former occupations were getting me ready and teaching me all of the skills I needed to be a producer, writer and director in the entertainment industry. Being a female director is not easy, but I had already climbed that hurdle in the transportation industry. My art background (BFA and MEd) allows me to freeze every frame like a painting. I care about the color and texture of each scene as well as the performances of the characters. I tell stories that will positively influence society, and want to give the audience members hope and healing for a better life. It was exceptionally gratifying to win 2 Emmys for my short film Step Up about Leroy, who had been homeless for 16 years. It is on my web site www.jerrisher.com on the shorts page. It is perseverance that keeps me going and never taking no for an answer is the key to my success. Treating each and every member of the crew with the utmost respect and knowing every person’s name goes a long way. We become like a family and staying humble is the reason I have risen to the top of my career. I am most proud of the fact that my projects are helping so many members of society, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, regardless of who watches my films, the audience members are enlightened, inspired, uplifted and educated.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of my creative endeavors is being able to tell hopeful stories that make people think. Sharing real stories of real people through my award-winning documentaries gives me a huge voice to share with people around the world to enlighten them and entertain them while they are learning valuable information about important subjects. When I get a call from a man in Paris or a person in Taipei and they say they are not going to kill themselves because they saw my film and now they know there is hope, there is nothing that could be better. My husband hears these conversations and says, “Jerri, you should feel like a million dollars.”
It is so rewarding to know that I am making a true difference in the world and helping so many people even though I am not a doctor, a therapist or a healer. I have been chosen to do this work and I am so grateful that these poignant stories come to me through interesting ways for me to translate them into the medium of film.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The driving factor and goal in my creative work is to make a difference and help people though the medium of film and musicals. It is such a difficult business and I always ask myself why do I keep doing this, but I just can’t stop. There is a burning fire in me to create and produce content that will help others in the world, bringing people joy, inspiration, hope and happiness. What could be better than telling significant true-life stories for the world to see and hear and experience. I know that I am truly blessed and I am so grateful for my family who encourages me every single day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jerrisher.com www.quietexplosions.com
- Instagram: @JerriDGA @quietexplosions
- Facebook: Jerri Kaplan Sher Quiet Explosions
- Linkedin: Jerri Sher
- Twitter: @JerriDGA @QEexplosions
- Youtube: Jerri Sher
- Other: linkedin Jerri Sher
Image Credits
Jerri Sher and Andrew Marr
Jerri Sher winning an Emmy