In this episode, Mishu sits down with Chicago filmmaker Jerry S. Gonzalez to talk about sticking with your strangest ideas, finding validation after quiet festival runs, and the discipline of just getting projects across the finish line. They unpack the lessons of shorts like Intergalactic PizzaBoy and The Spaghetti Man, the freedom (and limits) of DIY VFX, and how letting go in post-production can open the door to real collaboration.

🎬 Jerry is the director of award-winning shorts including There’s Something in the Woods, Intergalactic PizzaBoy, and The Spaghetti Man (winner of Best Short Film at Spooky Empire, Audience Choice at Midsummer Scream, and a “Troma Diploma”). He’s currently in post-production on his highly anticipated short Hamster in My Head while developing his feature Big Spooky House. Alongside his own projects, Jerry has worked on productions like Chicago Med/PD, Empire, Shameless, Trial of the Chicago 7, and The Bear.

We talk about:
→ Why “fuck it, just finish the film” is Jerry’s best advice to young filmmakers
→ The power (and pitfalls) of doing your own VFX in After Effects
→ How handing off post for Hamster in My Head taught him to trust collaborators
→ Finding energy after years of creative droughts and dead festival runs
→ Why Chicago’s community makes “making weird art” actually possible

Follow Jerry on Instagram: @jerrysgonz

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Produced by @ohhmaybemedia