We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Shepard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As an artist, you are at the mercy of the creative/finance team on a project to be cast and/or involved in any given project. In creating our production company Grossfilm with my husband John Gross, we wanted to be able to have control of our projects and ultimately make the final decisions on casting, crew, script and location decisions. As an actor/writer/producer, it only made sense to start our production company with the goals of getting our projects off the ground – without someone else telling us “no.” The work we do in making a project get off the ground at Grossfilm is exciting and challenging. The best lesson I have learned with starting our own business is to have patience – everything always works out in the end, good or bad.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a kid, I enjoyed making movies with my friends on home-video cameras. That joy never went away and I fell in love with drama classes in high school and college. A teacher I had in college suggested going to the IMTA convention in Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally since I had a love for it. Her suggestion paid off and I got my first manager in Los Angeles and immediately starting auditioning professionally. My first show (with lines!) was the 2006 TLC show “Untold Stories of the ER” and it was such a thrill to see myself on television! I played a father of a son who has scurvy and was under possible investigation of child abuse. That role made me want to pursue other dramatic roles and my wish came true with small parts in independent films that included Still The Drums and Junction (both on Amazon currently). I learned that there are a lot of “no’s” before there is a “yes.” Rejection is par for the course in this industry but I have learned that every audition, every opportunity is a blessing and helps improve my craft as an actor and artist as a whole. I’ve learned the golden rule of “Go with it than against it” and that the “Universe has a plan” with everything, good or bad. It’s set me apart for still pursuing this industry 20 years later! The thrill of working in entertainment never gets old and I’m always grateful for a job that comes my way!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week in Los Angeles! A Go-To of what to do:

Monday – Start the week with a hike at Runyon Canyon and get to see the beautiful views of Los Angeles. There are many hiking trails there and I love seeing the “nature” side to Los Angeles.

Tuesday – Retail therapy and good eats at The Grove. Taking a quick walk north, you’ll hit Melrose Avenue with even more shopping and cute little shops ready for you to walk in. I’m a fan of “thrift” and “vintage” stores and Melrose has them all!!

Wednesday – Escape to Koreatown, Little Tokyo, and Chinatown. With delicious food, shopping experiences and an escape to another world within Los Angeles, I absolutely love we celebrate China, Japan and Korea here in the city of Angeles!

Thursday – Let’s go the Valley!! The iconic Ventura Blvd. has wonderful dining and shopping options, including some more “vintage” and “thrift” shopping. Enjoy an iconic mexican dinner at “Casa Vega” on Ventura Blvd. which was featured in the blockbuster-film “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood!” The refried beans are legendary!!

Friday – Beat some of the upcoming weekend traffic and take a walk in The Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills. You’ll see the iconic Beverly Hills sign and wonderful art exhibits and trails that circle into an L shape as it approaches Westwood. Walking the trail back and forth is something I do a lot since I’m close by in West Hollywood and I often run the trail there too some mornings with my husband for good cardio. I good pit Stop 1/2 way through the Beverly Gardens on the other side of the street is Alfred Coffee and I love their bagel sandwiches and Cold Brew coffee.

Saturday – Get your dance on in West Hollywood! As a resident, we have some of the best gay LGBTQ bars/clubs and I would highly suggest visiting The Abbey, OR Bar, and TomTom. It’s fun being on the Santa Monica Blvd, strip, especially at night!

Sunday – Brunch & A Show! To top off a great week, I would see the Sunday Company show at The Groundlings and get some brunch at Madre on Fairfax Avenue which has absolutely delicious food! I’ve been a fan of the Sunday Company show since my cousin performed there and it always makes me laugh!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m inspired by so many people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with and meeting in real life. Most recently, I worked one day on the Oscar-Winning film “Oppenheimer” and I got to meet an idol of mine in the acting world Josh Hartnett. It was a quick scene in the closing-montage of the film but I was so grateful to actually share in a scene with an actor I’ve admired as a teenager growing up in Michigan. His story is similar to mine as he moved from the mid-west to Hollywood to pursue his dreams and it inspired me to do the same thing. In 2016, I had the pleasure of working actor/model/activist Ronnie Kroell in the short film “BOB” my production company produced. I was a fan of Ronnie’s from his appearance on the hit BRAVO reality-competition show “Make Me A Supermodel” and was so in awe of his ease being himself as gay man on television in 2008. He represented a gay man well and I was a fan like the rest of America who voted for him to stay on the show. When I wrote the script for BOB, I had Ronnie in mind for the lead part alongside myself. He made my dream come true by agreeing to be in the film and I’m happy to say we’re friends still to this day! In 2015, I had the pleasure of working alongside Unit Publicist Katherine McCormack Wherry as an assistant on the film “Inferno” directed by Ron Howard. I learned so much about behind-the-scenes of films working with her and she inspired me with her saying of “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” I had been so driven to chase acting roles, I never really considered all the other jobs that are on films that I could enjoy as well, She opened my mind to doing more in film and television and that’s what led me to begin writing and producing on my own projects.

Website: https://www.grossfilm.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@jjshepjj

Youtube: @hauntsbeforevegas

Other: https://tiktok.com/@hauntsbeforevegas

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