We recently connected with Jonathan Andre Culliton and have shared our conversation below.

Jonathan Andre, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

It’s so hard to choose because I count several of my films to be turning points in my career! When I made my digital series “Bombshell,” I was approaching telling my story as a gay trans man for the first time. Executive producing Michael Yip’s “Gay Mafia” made me face so many fears about being in charge and it was the beginning of building my queer filmic network. But I think the most significant projects I’ve worked on are truly the ones I’m working on now.

I’m in post production for “Spookable,” a t4t werewolf horror comedy starring Alexandra Grey and Marval Rex and produced by Zackary Drucker. After three years of development, it’s exciting to see this super-queer fantasy world come to a reality. Even in its rough cut stage, this film has fulfilled deep wants and needs of the little boy inside me that never quite saw himself on TV. To see trans people be both fearless heroes and creatures of the night is special, and we’re excited to bring it to the community and beyond.

My next project, “Willa Justice: Drag Queen Private Eye” is now in pre-production. I think it marks me, as a director, stepping into my craft with the confidence all of my experience has given me. For the first time, I don’t feel nervous thinking about arriving on set, Day 1. This time, I can’t wait.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a trans writer, director and producer who created the first series about a gay trans man in “Bombshell” and produced “Thơ,” the first film about an asexual girl of color. I am the host of the Trans Cinematic Universe Podcast, a deep dive into queer cinema, which I’m proud to say has reached queer audiences all over the world. My production company Heath&Henshaw is a proud banner for queer films and we are extremely proud of our upcoming 2024 slate, including “Spookable” and “Willa Justice.”

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That I didn’t need to learn anything! I always felt extremely proud of my talent but even through film school I was really missing the opportunity presented there, to target those gifts and hone my craft. I think Saturn really had to return before I understood the amount of humility and generosity that the creative process takes. You can write a script you love, and it can be perfect for that audience of one, but sometimes it can’t go beyond there, especially since filmmaking can be extremely expensive and needs an audience. But I write with an aim to entertain two entities: me, and everyone else. And one of my big goals is for my films to communicate things to the audience that unlock ideas about queerness in a hugely satisfying way, but it’s 2023! It’s so much more than analogies and postulated futures. So I really sent myself back to “school” aka the internet, read and tried out a lot of different processes and developed an approach to my artform that really fit me. And that’s the approach I’ve been using for the last 6 years where I’ve made all these gay films I love.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think the first step is appreciating how much movies are a part of everyday life. There are so many misconceptions about how movies get made and the economic side of that has definitely been uncovered more since the strikes. I’ve seen a lot of rhetoric about how actors and people who work in film are basically already privileged and should just get another job. I want people to understand that art is work and in particular, often times, it calls to people, it’s a calling. That’s the reason so many people on film sets are so dedicated. I’ve worked a 24-hour and a 17-hour shoot before. We are dedicated. And people love movies and want that entertainment. If writing and acting is replaced by AI, you will definitely see the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: heathandhenshaw.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/heathandhenshaw

Image Credits
Marval Rex Productions and Heath&Henshaw Productions