We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Klearman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessie below.

Jessie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned how to be a director earning my MFA at UCLA. I was also lucky enough to work for a short period of time with Dave Meyers (Humble by Kendrick Lamar) and Mia Barnes (Bam Bam by Camila Cabello) where I learned a great way to make treatments for music videos which has elevated my work since. I think directing is something you should take your time with to find your style as well as understand the craft, so I don’t think there is a way to rush the learning process. It is important to first understand the craft, meaning understanding how to create a shot list, floor plan, and treatment and after you get that down try to explore your personal voice and style. Sometimes it can be hard to get access to the right people to teach you their ways, but watching films and music videos is a great way to learn from successful directors.

Jessie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started out directing by making short films, my films “Presents” and “Captain Ocean” have been seen at festivals around the world, including the Santa Fe International Film Festival, Halifax Black Film Festival, and winning “Best Director,” “Best Student Film,” “Best Original Score” and “Best Actor” at the Blue Berry Film Festival. While I truly enjoy narrative and work with it whenever possible, I found found a lot of success in directing music videos. I have worked with artists from multiple genres, from indie, to rock, to rap. My music videos have also had success at film festivals including the London Music Video Festival, Palm Beach International Music Awards and the Music Video Awards. I’d love it if you’d check out my work at www.JessieKlearman.com or on Instagram at @musicvideosbyjessie or @directorjessie. I bring a level of professionalism to the indie music video world that is hard to come by. I’m proud of the stories I’m able to tell for the artists I work with, bringing a visual element to their songs while working with their differing budgets. My eye is unique and I always bring ideas to the table, whether I start from scratch or build from an idea that an artists brings me. I love creating captivating visuals that add to the songs I work with. I’ve always loved music but was never any good at singing, playing guitar or the drums. I see directing music videos as my instrument, I want the video to flow seamlessly with the song it is attached to. I love all of my videos but some that really capture my voice are “35 Bands” by 6iix Boy, “Let Me” by Leila Sunier, and “Bonnie and Clyde” By Smoke Ghandi feature Cali Smoov, 6iix Boy and Micah Jewel.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love seeing the artists I work with be excited about the music videos we create. It’s so exciting to see them being promoted and watching their audience engage with my work. I love reading the comments or watching/ listening to podcasts that review them. A few of my music videos have been reviewed on No Jumper, it’s always great to get feedback from the fans.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Recently my apartment complex had a really bad fire, I was suddenly displaced from my home, living out of a hotel and unsure what the next moves were going to be. Just two days after the fire I had planned to direct a music video. For me there was no questions, the music video was going to happen! While I was able to get out most of my equipment (post fire, escorted by firefighters who I am very grateful for!) but I missed one single chord that I needed for a light and wasn’t allowed to return to my building! While no stores had the chord I needed I was able to find batteries at Samy’s Camera that could power the light instead. The experience of hunting them down was chaotic and time was ticking before the shoot, but in the end it made the shoot run better and the lights more portable and now I’m investing in the same batteries for all of my lights. The music video is still in development but is coming together great, so be on the look out for “Idc by Karla Rojas”!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JessieKlearman.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/musicvideosbyjessie
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jlkearman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-klearman-73403946
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/cloudshadowtv
• Other: www.instagram.com/directorjessie [email protected]

Image Credits
DP: Isaiah Ray Pearce (@isaiahraypearce) DP: Mengyuan Vivian He (@vivianhedp)