Meet Jake Hurst | Hopeless Optimist

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

Hi Jake, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
While I’ve had my sights on returning to Los Angeles since I left as a kid, the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make was between staying in small-town Kansas or leaving for the big city.

When I was in kindergarten, I wrote down my dream job as being a “movie star”. The rest of my childhood was filled with making home movies in the backyard. There wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind I was going back to my birthplace, though I hadn’t lived there in over a decade.

Then, COVID hit. And this Class of 2020 kid would’ve had to do online classes for a year if he really wanted to go to school in LA. So, quite impulsively, I made the switch to attend the University of Kansas, my mom’s alma mater, on a full-ride for marching band. Initially, I viewed this as a “gap year”, living out my marching band dreams while everything else was closed down. I was sure I would be heading back to LA by the year’s end.

I was won over, to say the least. One might think Kansas is a whole buncha nothing. But to most of my classmates and friends, it wasn’t nothing, it was all they knew. And whether it was doing donuts in the billiards hall parking lot, or taking psychedelics by the local lake, they taught me that it doesn’t matter where you are, it’s the people that make a place feel like home. I felt accepted, and a part of their community. They taught me their traditions, and their great disdain for the neighboring state of Missouri. I hadn’t known that feeling of inclusion my whole life.

So yeah, though I had been sure of it my entire life, I was ready to give up my LA dreams for a simpler life in Kansas. Considering I ended up in LA, one might think I’m making a big whoop over nothing. But I often wish I could visit alternate-universe me, and see what that Kansas boy would be up to.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been stuck deciding on which path to follow. In high school, I did it all; drama, band, choir, film… How fortunate am I to have this problem? Even when I landed on getting into film/TV production, I didn’t decidedly head down this path. I still geek out about live music, and I still enjoy being in front of the camera as much as I do behind it.

What I’m getting at is that my approach as an artist is based in the rounded celebration of the arts. All of the screenplays I have ever written have something to do with music. Conversely, a musical I wrote in high school was a medley of my favorite slasher movies. Perhaps it’s my fear of missing out and wanting to do it all, but I guess what sets me apart from others is that I am not a film-nerd, I am not a music-nerd, I am an everything-nerd.

Professionally, I am in the same spot as 99% of the people looking for their place in the entertainment industry. Locked out of the pearly white gates, desperately looking to find that foot in the door, but alas, only looking. In the first few months after graduating film school, this was something that stressed me out. Only a few months later, I’m honestly okay with it. Of course, I am still firing away my resumes at every production company I can find, but the rejection doesn’t hurt anymore.

What I am learning from the current state of the industry is that there is a mass exodus happening. Even people who have well-established careers are struggling to find paid work. It’s disheartening to hear my film school professors basically say, “Yeah, you guys are fucked.” My focus has been shifting away from the traditional studio production pipeline and more towards the independent route. After all, I’m certainly not doing this for the money. So why not make my little American dollars doing my mundane little part-time gig, and spend the rest of my time doing what I’m really here for. Creating. Dreaming. Exploring.

Perhaps this is nothing different than what every early-20s artist has said ever. But if there’s one thing the world will know about me before my time is said and done, it will be my dedication to making art that reminds people how awesome it is to be a human.

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?
Listen. Santa Monica and Hollywood and celebrity house tours are fine. I have no qualms with tourist attractions because that’s what they are. But if my friend was visiting for a week, it would be the furthest from traditional as one can get. And disclaimer, I’m no Angeleno.

I will concede that this opinion is shielded by the privilege of being a white man, but I will take it to the grave that LA’s Metro system is not as bad as people say. I’ve taken the subway as far as it will go, I’ve taken a bus to nearly every corner of the city limits, and these experiences have shown me the real Los Angeles: the people. Whether it’s folks getting off their double shift, or eccentric characters poorly singing Michael Jackson, these are the faces of LA to me. So step one, take the Metro to Downtown.

Still with me? Relax your grip on that pepper spray, my friend. We’re going to Olivera Street, we’re going to the Bradbury building, we’re seeing the origins of Los Angeles. My semester in a History of LA class makes a historian, right? Along our trip Downtown I will bore you with fun facts about the original Pobledores.

Perhaps we’ll grab some lunch down Cesar Chavez Avenue at King Taco or George’s Burger Stand. Maybe back-tracking a little, we’ll continue on down the rail line to the Watts Towers Arts Center. Maybe a stop at the park and we can read some Joan Didion together.

Alright, alright, fine. So you wanna see some glitz and glamour? We’ll catch an old flick at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema, or maybe the Egyptian. We can drive past the Cinerama dome, but not for too long because I’ll get sad. I suppose, when in Rome, may as well hit the Sunset Circuit. Hopefully we can catch a Led Zeppelin cover band at the Whisky a Go Go, or maybe run into some spooky scary ghosts in the Viper Room.

My wheelhouse is the Valley. We can drive past my childhood home, my old daycare center that’s now a Starbucks, or my favorite ice-cream shop that’s now a Starbucks, or my… You know what, throw on a safety-orange vest and some sunglasses, because we’re breaking into my favorite, now abandoned, theater. Just act like you belong, that’s how it goes around here.

The cherry on top to a week in paradise has to be a lookout point. My favorite is the Universal City Lookout, where you can see right into the studios and wave to the Minion who watches over our city. That movie called it the City of Stars for a reason. You’ll never get over that sea of sparkling street lights. Oh, what’s that, you wanna live here?

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?
From when I first knew what an Oscar was, I would often fall asleep reciting my acceptance speech. And topping that list is always my teachers.

Mr. Moberly, my high school drama teacher, taught me to believe and trust in my creative abilities, and to always work them out like muscles.

Mr. Grabowski, my high school band teacher, taught me it is of equal value to be a devoted artist as it is to be a devoted citizen.

Dr. Tamayo, my Chicano Studies professor, taught me that writing is only 10% writing and 90% re-writing.

Mr. Saunders, my film school professor, taught me that to tell a good story, we have to be our own main character and metamorphose.

And to the dozens of other teachers who have had a hand in molding me into who I am today. The world is in desperate need of leaders right now, and my teachers have inspired me to pay it forward and lead by example.

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jakehurstfilms/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/jakehurstfilms

Other: My personal essay video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxGI_mJblHs&ab_channel=JakeHurst

Image Credits
Colin Fowler
Eve Fischer