Meet Jesse Cilio

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

Hi Jesse, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was at Club Limelight in NYC with my older cousin when I was 9 . I got discovered by the director Larry Clark where he asked us if we wanted to be in the movie he was doing . Which turned out to be the movie “Kids “. In the end we only ended up being extras in the part in the club and skating around Washington Square Park .

I did commercials as a child for Lego waffles with Shia Lebouf , Captain Crunch Cereal and Super Soakers.

I read the book “Clock Work Orange” when I was 12 and it changed my life also watching the movie “Woman Under the Influence” , which both those pieces of art putting me on a creative path.

You know lately as an artist I been fantasizing about the normality of life . I just in the end want to help people and humanity and leave this life here with something that outlasts it. My latest movie feature I wrote and directed called “Milk Milk Lemonade” is in post production . It will be in festivals in the fall of 2026 and early 2027.

I’m in pre production on a movie I wrote and will be directing called “Pure Heroin(e)” . It’s a found family tragedy disguised as a crime odyssey told with humor, grime, and unpredictability of people barely surviving Los Angeles . Messy people making terrible decisions while desperately trying to love each other.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I googled what a nervous breakdown was and realized I been having one since I was a teenager . What helped my writing was learning requires failure, loving the wrong person, traveling the world, and seeing good where others don’t, and spending a lot of time being around artists and a criminals. The great thing about life is if you’re open, nothing stays the same. .Forgiveness is between them and God. My job is to arrange the meeting.

I wrote articles and took pictures on my come up for Subculture magazines like “Nakid” , “Sticks & Stones Agency” . Filthy Mouth Creative”, “64 magazine” . And was a journalist for the hip hop magazine Jointz , Urb and MTV News, where covered Coachella interviewed on video and print “lil Jon”, “east side boyz”, “ying yang twins” , “Pharcyde”, “dj muggs”, Gza, “self scientific” , “people under the stairs” , “princess super star” , “dilated peoples”, “aseop rock”.

Also realizing as I get older sometimes the hardest part is staying surrounded by people who only recognize the old version of you. They unconsciously expect you to stay the same.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Jumbos Clown Room in Los Angeles, then drive up to the red woods on the coast, past Fort Bragg and Westport . Hang out in the woods under the stars catching fire flies in mason jars that light my way.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I met Tony Scott, the director when I was in high school and auditioning for the movie “Black Hawk Down”. I later was his assistant when I was 18 and moved to Los Angeles, and he put me on a path to follow my dreams and work in the movies and more importantly he taught me, What stays with you is the strange comfort of knowing that love can look messy, loud and ridiculous, and still be completely real.

I also studied at Lee Seaborg as a young teenager and auditioned for roles for “Finding Forester” and playing small parts in theatre in productions at theatre’s including Art Greenwich Twin, The Mayfair Theatre, The Jane Hotel, American Place Theatre, Douglas Fairbanks Theater, and John Houseman Theater.

Website: https://www.sticksandstonesagency.com/person/jesse-cilio/

Instagram: @nordicjones

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mPCFd7P6NbY