Meet Jill | Writer/Director/Producer & Founder of Sans Rival Entertainment

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

Hi Jill, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It’s always better to have your own business because not only can you control your own hours, you control your income. I also believe in having multiple sources of income so that when one fails, there’s still another source to rely on to stay afloat. We live in a time now where many people are getting laid off from their 9-5, myself included, and all from very different industries. This is a very different time from the baby boomer generation, so it’s important to have different skills as well as the flexibility to pivot.

I started my production company, Sans Rival Entertainment, so I could continue to fund my films, but to also help produce other projects that would otherwise be ignored due to lack of followers, celebrities, or connections. We are now more able to connect with each other on a global scale, so the demand for content is there. I am also delving into vertical content, but not the typical soap opera stuff that’s popular, something different, and hopefully more inspiring.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I grew up in Houston, a city more known for its oil and gas, IT, and medical industries, so of course I went ahead and studied journalism. Houston was a very difficult place for me to make a living as a creative person. I was driving an hour each way outside the city as a newspaper reporter, my first job out of college. I also come from a family of nurses, so I didn’t have a family that understood why I needed to create.

I didn’t move to California with dreams of making it in Hollywood, I just wanted to live in a place with nice weather all of the time.
Once I saw one of my sketches come to life, I was hooked onto filmmaking. When I learned I didn’t have to know all the technical details of filmmaking, I fell in love with directing. Producing is a natural but necessary segue because it’s similar to my work as a former grants administrator. I want the world to know I will always write from a different and layered POV. I recently got married and I am a stepmom to an 11-year- old boy, who is the sole audience to my life lectures to and from school and while running errands.

I am most excited about inspiring more girls and women to be great directors. I believe in calm, cohesive, timely sets, and that creativity thrives best in safe, respectful, and nurturing environments. If sets feel otherwise, I will always blame the director, since they have the most control of the situation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting, we would definitely eat and shop at The Source in Buena Park, play pickle ball, and beach hop around the OC. I would also tell her to bring her passport so we could cross the border and stuff ourselves with good food and wine in Valle de Guadalupe, the Napa of Mexico.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people and groups to thank on my journey. My first shoutout would be to my sketch comedy teacher, Lisa Medway, who wrote for the TV show, The Nanny. Lisa explained sketches and screenplays to me in such a way that I felt I could do it. My writing mentor Keatyn Lee from the Jacob Kreuger Studio always believed in the strength of my characters. Several non-profits I belong to include: the Scriptwriters Network, Women of Color Unite, and Women of Color Filmmakers. I also want to recognize organizations like FilmNorth, the Independent Writers Caucus, and Creating Creators. Thank you to anyone who ever showed up to our Words With Wine writing group and given notes on screenplays, especially Matt McHugh, who gave the most entertaining notes of all. I will always remember my ride or die crew from the TK project. I want to thank my stepson, Stone, who does great impressions, and who has a wild imagination like mine. Finally, I want to thank my beautiful wife, Michelle, who is always there to support me, cooking and baking on and off set, and who makes life fun and filled with light.

Website: https://jillnarciso.com

Instagram: superjilln

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillnarciso

Facebook: Jill Narciso

Image Credits
Chara Andrews for my self photo