We recently connected with Jerry Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.
Jerry, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The last project was a short film called The Spaghetti Man. It’s about a mother and her son who move into a new home and find a “Spaghetti Man ” living in her son’s closet. I would describe the film as a horror dramedy that takes turns you would not expect. My main goal with the film was to bring it to predominantly horror film festivals and show it to die hard horror nerds. Hoping they would expect something horrifying but they are actually met with something that’s surprisingly sentimental. This is my twisted sense of humor.
Understandably, the reception for this film has been divisive but it has found a cult following. This film was made mostly for me. I wrote it during a transitional time in my life and a lot of the feelings I was going through, made it into that film. Seeing it resonate with audience members has been rewarding for me. I’m very grateful for the amount of support I have received after it’s been screened. Everyday, I’m surprised by how many people come up to me and say “You made The Spaghetti Man? Can I work on the next one? ”This has given me so much creative freedom and has allowed me to pursue more ambitious and absurd projects.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a born and raised Chicagoan who has been making movies since I was 3 years old. It started, out of the blue, when I asked my parents if we could remake the Wizard of Oz. We then proceeded to spend the afternoon making a truncated version of the movie with halloween masks and kitchen utensils. All shot on the cutting-edge family camcorder. Roger Deakins would be jealous. My curiosity would stem from there and I would go on to make stop motion videos with Legos when I was in middle school then high school filming skits with whoever I could get to put in front of a camera. I got accepted into Columbia College Chicago and shortly after I graduated I started getting work on large industry shows like Chicago Med, Empire, and The Bear .
Currently, I have directed 3 indie short films (There’s Something in the Woods, Intergalactic Pizzaboy, and The Spaghetti Man) and I’m preparing to direct my next short, Hamster in my Head, in late April. My shorts usually center around a lot of practical effects and creature puppets. Most of the time, I build these pieces myself. As a director, I love when an actor has something tangible to react to on set.
I’ve been fortunate to have fallen into a puppet fabricator/ creature designer role for different projects. One week I’ll be working on a children show but then the next I’ll be building a demonic strawberry. While I value practical effects, I do see a value for visual effects as well. I also get commission for VFX work. I don’t see one being better than the other and think they work best when paired together!
I attribute my love for creatures from being an anxious child. I was afraid of everything but I was still fascinated by my fears. I would draw horror movie characters even though I was too scared to watch them. Seeing some of these movies later in life made me realize that my imagination was sometimes scarier than the films themselves. I remember watching Svengoolie with my mom and watching all the old Universal monster movies. They were so campy but incredibly charming. As an adult, horror is now one of my favorite genres. As I love spooky stuff, I also love to make people laugh. I think the real world is stressful enough and movies should sometimes just be dumb fun.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I really undervalued the power of networking. Starting out, I was very much a lone wolf and I felt I didn’t need to connect with others. I did fine but it did hold me back. It led to a lot of creative roadblocks and eventually I would abandon some projects because I didn’t have the resources.
Now you can probably find me at every networking/mixer in the Chicago. You never know who you’re gonna meet. I recently worked two big projects that wasn’t so much about my resume but who I knew. I feel there’s definitely more talented people out there for these jobs but since I was at the right place, at the right time: I got hired. This industry is stupid like that. However, I fully believe that luck is preparation meets opportunity.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect has definitely been being in a place where my art can speak for itself. It’s incredibly validating to have people watch my work and become excited to see what I do next. Also having people pay my rate is also nice.
My recent seed and spark campaign, latest short film, Hamster in my Head!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.jerrysgonzalez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrysgonz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JerrySGonz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-gonzalez-74518aa5/
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11881323/fullcredits?ref_=nm_flmg_sort_text_view
Image Credits
David Wolfgang Von Ehrichler Stone Watters Nathan Oelker Trisha Noon Jon “Sparky” Schwolsky