Meet Jason Peters | Author, Director, & Film Critic

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

Hi Jason, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have tried my hand at many different business ventures in the creative field, from starting an independent publishing to producing and directing a feature film to now hosting a film review program on YouTube with my friend and business/creative partner Ryan Seybold, and all of them began as completely selfish endeavors simply because they are within fields that I love.

As with any venture, though, there becomes an inflection point where you say to yourself, “I think we can turn this into a financially viable company,” after which point you eventually realize that may or may not be true. But by focusing on fields you’re truly passionate about, you’re empowered to keep going even when the money isn’t flowing during the onset of said venture.

I’m passionate about building up communities of artists, and creating such communities within the scope of the business is another reason I do what I do. I’ve had the good fortune of meeting wonderful and talented creatives whom I have been happy to align myself with, but that’s also when the work tends to become more financially motivated as you now have additional pressure to find ways to support your people. Funding your own work or that of one other person takes a modest amount of resources, but once you build up your team you have to start employing outside vendors and freelancers to support your people, and it quickly becomes too much financially to take on without the financial returns flowing in. So at that point, you have to pivot to a much more financially-based mindset, which is really where the difficult work begins.

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 never pursued anything that could be classified as falling within mainstream appetites. My first major effort was starting an independent book publishing company called Aberrant Literature roughly 10 years ago. We steadfastly refused to write or publish traditional works, opting for what Harlan Ellison would’ve described as “strange fiction”. None of it was quite horror, sci-fi, or fantasy, but dipped and dived within those genres in pursuit of something truly original (while understanding that, as the Barenaked Ladies taught us, “It’s all been done (before).”

It should come as no surprise that by stubbornly refusing to cater to audience demand, we found ourselves financially unviable after 10 years. But along the way, we created truly original and wonderful works that those few who did manage to find us passionately embraced. We had the joy of attending conventions, interfacing with fans online, and supporting one another through good times and bad. I had the pleasure of editing and developing several authors’ work, and found that as much as I enjoyed creating my own art, I also truly enjoyed helping others navigate the waters to find their voice and the crux of the stories they wished to tell.

Shortly thereafter, I pivoted back to my original love of filmmaking. I attended film school but found it difficult to break into the industry, as many others do, and as such decided that rather than wait for someone else to grant me the opportunity, I would make it happen for myself. I wrote, directed, shot, edited, and produced my own feature-length comedy called Toast with some wonderful SAG actors who were looking for opportunities in the middle of COVID when the industry dried up and came to a standstill. It was grueling and arduous; the type of independent, no-rules production we’ve heard stories of from talented filmmakers over the years. We filmed it over the course of eight weekends, which absolutely taxed my body and mind, but the spirit was always there, continually pushing me and my cast and modest crew (my wife). Unfortunately, nothing much came of the film, but it will always be one of the most enjoyable exhaustive times of my life, and no one can ever take our film away from us. It exists. The proof of our dedication and talent is there, and I know it will not be the last film I create in my life.

I am now focused on building out a steadily-growing film review program called Esoterica Cinema. While it initially started as an audio podcast with my good friend during COVID, it has since developed into a full-fledged, video-based review program featuring clips, features, and a variety of content. Understanding YouTube has been its own challenge, but we believe in consistent, incremental progress, and with every release we understand more about navigating the algorithms, working with copyright owners, and delivering audiences an increasingly more polished and entertaining product. Gone are the days of 2-1/2 hour long-form audio reviews, with us now delivering 45 minute in-depth discussions alongside bite-sized five-minute features and quick reviews.

If there’s one aspect of my journey that I hope people recognize, it is my continual attempts to get to the heart of these different mediums we all fell in love with as children and adults. I’m never going to ask myself how to deliver more of the same. I truly believe that these wonderful, unrecognized works of film and literature have so much to teach us about life and the world and humanity and ourselves. As audiences, we just need to be willing to explore the landscape in search of that unique treasure we didn’t know we needed. I hope that in the future, as well as the past, any of my and our works become one of those treasures.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a media nerd, I’m all about film and literature, but I love food and music and comedy as well. Los Angeles has such a wonderful variety of cultures and flavors to check out that there’s not much limit to what you can experience.

My ideal itinerary would start with a trip to Amoeba Records, where we would go bargain hunting for used CDs, DVDs, and Vinyls for $5 – $10 a piece. Go in with a set dollar figure and see what you can ransack from the store with it. There’s such joy in holding up an album that you may know one or two songs from, and imaging what the rest of the tracks hold in store. I have no business knowing the album The Tracy Chapter from a short-lived nu-metal band called Destiny. But it rocks and I would’ve never bought it or even known it existed if I couldn’t pick up a used copy for $5. (We’re obviously pre-Spotify in this example)

The same can be said for books, which makes our next stops The Last Bookstore in Downtown and Iliad Bookstore in North Hollywood respectively, where you can find used hardcovers, featuring wonderfully funky covers they just don’t make any more, for a few dollars a piece. As with albums, the same sense of joy is found holding up a book and wondering what story and characters lay-in-wait within. It’s also a great way to be exposed to authors who you’ve never heard of, or perhaps only have in passing. Do I know the name Saul Bellow? Sure! But I could never have told you the name of any of his books if I didn’t happen to find Humboldt’s Gift at one of these establishments.

After that, we head on over to one of our many fine taco trucks and stands. I know a lot of people like to hit up West LA and downtown for such occassions, but as a valley kid I need to shout out Archies food truck and Tacos Guelaguetza respectively in Sunland-Tujunga. Archies has literally the best chicken I’ve ever had; same for the al pastor at Tacos Guelaguetza. Plus, you can get tacos for $2 a piece! You can eat like king for $10 while also still leaving a couple bucks for a tip. And the people at both establishments are the most friendly, good-natured, and hard-working people you’ll meet. Such are the joys of not having to pay for overhead as a customer.

Next we’ll hit up an old film on a new screen at Secret Movie Club or Brain Dead Studios, two of the best repertory cinema houses in Los Angeles not owned by Tarantino (though both New Beverly and The Vista are great, as well) before bopping over to Edendale in Silverlake for a classier dining experience with great traditional American cuisine and excellent cocktail and beer offerings.

Finally, since we’re in the area, we’ll finish out the night by heading over to Dynasty Typewriter to catch The Last Improv Show, my absolute favorite comedy show of all-time ever. I have taken no less than four distinct groups of people there and everyone has laughed more than they have in years. If you have anyone in your life that thinks they don’t like improv comedy, this show will change their minds in 90 minutes flat.

Talk about a packed day!

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?
This feature is dedicated to the love and support of my wife Deborah Peters, who never stops encouraging me to pursue my dreams and ambitions, and my creative/business partner Ryan Seybold, who rides alongside me every day in pursuit of our newest venture to teach others about the intricacies of film and share our love of the craft with the world.

Website: https://esotericacinema.com

Instagram: @esotericacinema

Youtube: https://youtube.com/esotericacinema

Image Credits
Deborah Peters, Jason Peters