Meet Aaron Fjellman | Filmmaker & Agency Producer

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

Hi Aaron, what inspires you?
On the heels of making my first feature film, and releasing it during the height of the pandemic, I found myself without health insurance feeling extremely proud of myself, but also wondering “Am I cursed?”. For 3 + years I overcame every obstacle in front of me, taking an intriguing premise for a contained, elevated horror project and ultimately turning it into a feature film distributed around the world. Needless to say, when I premiered at an LA based film festival in March of 2020 on the same weekend that Eric Garcetti mandated no public gatherings over ten people, and the film festival didn’t cancel, I found myself contacting a guest list of over three hundred people to persuade them NOT to attend the premiere of my debut feature film. The movie played on the big screen for one night only, the only time it ever played in a theatre, for thirty-five truly diehard supporters. After which, the world shut down. With free time on my hands for the first time in years, I carefully contemplated “What it is it about this business that truly inspires me, and how can I turn that into health insurance, today?” Fairly quickly, I realized how much of my success was achieved through creating a trailer, reel, or sales tape. If I’m honest: casting, financing, wooing key crew members, representation, landing festivals, getting press, and attaining distribution all hinged on a 90 sec video and a well-designed press kit. With that in mind, I set my sights on landing a producing job at an entertainment marketing agency, uncertain how exactly this would help satisfy my burning desire to write and direct another film.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Months after releasing “Caged,” I took a job at an entertainment marketing agency called Open Road Entertainment. As an indie creator, music video director, screenwriter, and eventually filmmaker, I was always the largest part of a smaller entity, motivated by personal passion and the potential of whatever I happened to be working on at the moment. As an agency producer, I make small but meaningful contributions, helping to market and advertise some of the highest profile projects made for TV, streaming, and the big screen, and I have health insurance. My resume currently describes my skillset as Agency Producer / Filmmaker, an uncommon title that contributed to Open Road’s decision to not hire me after my initial interview. Not taking no for answer, I invited Rob, the hiring manger to coffee with the intention of convincing him he’d made a huge mistake. At which point, he informed me that having a writing/directing background is actually a red flag because he believed I would leave sooner than later to pursue a personal project. Thankfully, I was able to clearly explain my goals and a few months later I was offered the job. Flash forward two years, one of the company’s owners, Lon Moeller, cryptically approaches me asking if I’m interested in making another film. Of course I am, but is this a trap? I think I said something to the effect of “never say never, but right now I don’t want to dilute my focus.” A couple days later, same line of questioning, followed up by…”You love horror, I love horror, we both love movies…” My curiosity was piqued, and after a few more semi-awkward conversations we agreed to forge a partnership with the goal of independently producing a Christmas themed horror film under the banner of a yet to be named production company – proving, if not only to myself, that Agency Producer/Filmmaker is actually a thing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite things to do in LA, the kind of things I’d take friend a from out of town to do: Mystique Museum, Greek Theatre, Shakespeare in the park, Highland Park Bowl, Rose Bowl Fleamarket, Monster Jam, Alamo Drafthouse, Grand Central Market, Malibu Wines, Grill M All (Heavy Metal themed hamburgers in Alahambra), and Art District DTLA, to name a few.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of my initial motivators for making Caged was to shine a light on the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement within the US prison system, so first and foremost I’d like to dedicate my Shoutout to all the inmates currently enduring this torturous and inhumane form of incarceration. On a more personal/professional level, I’d like to shout out my actors and my filmmaking family, including but not limited to: Edi Gathegi, Melora Hardin, Angela Sarafyan, James Jagger, Tony Amendola, Pete Kirtley (Producer), Ryan Sage (Producer) Matthew Temple ( Producer), Jessa Zarubica (Producer) Jessica Young (Director of Photography), James “Doc” Mason (co-writer), Arthur Graley (Sound Designer), Richard Pryke (Re-recording Mixer), CJ Johnson (Composer) Greg Paul Malone (VFX Supervisor) Eric Strand (Editor) Karina Walter (Casting), Alexander Schwab (Colorist), Kimberly Sanchez (Consultant) Jay Adams (Future Collaborator)  Premiere Entertainment, and Shout Studios.

Website: https://www.aaronfjellman.com

Instagram: @a_fjwhat

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-fjellman/

Image Credits
Photo credit: Panic House Films & Christoper Wray McCann