Jay Ellis on Mentoring Filmmakers: ‘You Can’t Just Take from the Machine, You Got to Give Back’

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This article is presented in partnership with Rabbit Hole.

Jay Ellis is a busy man. The “Insecure” and “Top Gun: Maverick” star is a regular at the Sundance Film Festival, but this year he only had time to pop in for a whirlwind 48 hours thanks to a schedule that includes two new shows coming out this year (Netflix’s “Running Point” and Peacock’s “All Her Fault”) and a theater gig in New York this summer. But Ellis still finds time within that packed slate to mentor the next generation of filmmakers.

Without a film playing at the festival, he was on hand to attend the IndieWire Chili Party and talk about his involvement in Rabbit Hole’s Creative Spirit Challenge. The premium spirits brand, which has long been a supporter of independent film, has launched a pitch contest in which first-time filmmakers can win the camera equipment needed to make their first short film. Three winners will receive Canon EOS R5 C cameras, but the grand prize is a mentorship session with Ellis, who plans to share the filmmaking wisdom he has accumulated over the course of his career.

Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Gorge

Speaking to IndieWire over Zoom after the festival, Ellis explained why he felt compelled to participate in the contest.

“This is a cyclical thing. You kind of got to give back to it. You can’t just take from the machine, you got to give to it as well so it can continue to grow and the medium can grow and storytelling can grow, and other people who maybe haven’t got a chance to tell a story can tell a story,” Ellis said. “As a brand, Rabbit Hole itself really champions artistry in every single thing that they do and every single bottle that they make. They wanted to also support that in filmmaking.”

Ellis’ career has seen him work at practically every level of the entertainment industry, from big budget streaming series and studio blockbusters to indie projects with first time filmmakers. He explained that the diversity of perspectives he has encountered leaves him well-positioned to help artists with strong voices looking to break in.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be around some amazing, fantastic filmmakers from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and Joe Kosinski to Melina Matsoukas and Prentice Penny. And I’ve gotten to work with some really, really, really cool people,” he said. “And then I’ve gotten to go out and direct myself, obviously. And so I hope that all the experience that I’ve soaked up from those folks, I can just ooze into this winner, into this person that I’m going to mentor.”

Making a short that played at prestigious film festivals was once seen as the default path to breaking in as an independent filmmaker — but in a rapidly evolving industry, the blueprint to success seldom feels so simple anymore. Ellis understands that, but he offered a personal anecdote to explain why shorts are still a vital part of the filmmaking ecosystem.

“In 2019, I was producing a film with Blumhouse and Amazon, and it was a thriller, and we were looking for a filmmaker and we were having a hard time finding someone. Amazon wanted to support first time filmmakers for this slate of films that they were doing. And it took us a while to find someone,” he said. “We got a short from a young man, his name is Emmanuel (Osei-Kuffour Jr.). He directed this film ‘Black Box’ that I’m talking about. Emmanuel who graduated from NYU. All he had was his short film, his thesis, and it was amazing. And we saw it and we met with him and we liked him… Emmanuel ultimately gets that job. He directs his first film, which ends up premiering October of 2020. And it was a huge thing, and tons of people watched it on Amazon and got a ton of viewership. And fast-forward four years later, Emmanuel now has a full television career. He just directed an Emmy nominated episode of ‘Shogun,’ which is like a $30 million episode of television. His life is completely changed because of that one short film.”

Ellis summed up his thoughts by explaining that the Creative Spirit contest exists at the intersection of storytelling and professional development, with the potential to produce some great narrative shorts that stand on their own while also ushering in a new wave of filmmakers.

“I think shorts play a very, very vital role in career development as well as just storytelling,” he said. “When you’re at the festivals and you’re seeing different points of view and you’re seeing stories from all around the world from different voices that only enriches our film community at large.”