Meet Jord K.T. | Writer & Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jord K.T. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jord, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

I think as an artist, trusting in a higher plan, as cheesy as that sounds or believing that destiny is involved in your journey will keep you going. I’ve had to leave the industry for work and rewrite my plan many times and I still feel like I have a lot of time to do what I need to do and get to where I want to be. The fear of failure can keep you from moving forward. Once you push through that debilitating perfectionism, you can then use the resources in front of you and go forward with the knowledge that you already have instead of waiting until you’re “perfectly ready.” On my short film, titled THURSDAY, we had a lot of detours in the post production. The pandemic happened and my shooter/editor got really sick. I had a family crisis and it took almost two years to finish and I think that this particular project stayed alive because I didn’t have this pressure to make something perfect by others’ standards. I just wanted to make something with integrity and so I wanted to work with the same person even if we had to take month long breaks and I wanted to continue picking at it and editing until it felt complete.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I love to create stories that bring people into the nuanced worlds of the strangers around them with themes of mental health, chronic illness, and complex relationships.  I’ll typically start a story by first thinking of one line or one scene and then I’ll build around it. Stylistically, I love to use understated emotion and poignant music to create something heavy and touching. But I don’t like to leave people there, I like to subtly inspire hope. I feel like that’s how it is in real life. You’ll see this in my mental health drama, THURSDAY, which I wrote and directed. It brings you into a week in the life of someone with paralyzing depression/anxiety or grief. The little details such as dirty dishes in the sink, were important to me and will resonate with anyone who has experienced something like this and will give some insight to viewers who haven’t. I hope to make it available on YouTube soon.

I am also a huge modern Korean drama (K-drama) fan and take a lot of inspiration from them. K-dramas are great at showing intense understated emotion and themes like yearning and frustration with human problems. I respect that the stories can be gritty and real but at the same time don’t usually show nudity and gore.
A recent accomplishment I’m really proud of: I organized and hosted a premiere for my short film at the historic Somerville Theatre in Boston. It was a surreal moment to share my debut project with my supporters and loved ones.
How I got to where I am today has not been easy. I had been working as a Production Assistant for T.V., Features and commercials in the Boston area for five or so years. For films and T.V., I’ve worked in Accounting, Post-Production, on set, in the production office, -everywhere. You really have to learn how to advocate for yourself as a Production Assistant. It’s been hard work and really pushed my physical limits. Eventually, I knew I wanted to come out to L.A. for T.V. writing and it has been a journey with a lot of detours to get here. Over the years of planning, I kept reminding myself, “If it’s God’s will, it’ll happen.” I finally figured it out one day and came out here without having anything lined up…That was one year ago!
Along the way, I’ve learned integrity is very important to me as an artist and a professional. The values that I practice with my crew on my low-budget indie sets are the same values I want to have as a Showrunner/Director with more power in the future: Respect everyone, Bring positivity, Make sure everyone’s compensated for their work even if we are all splitting just fifty bucks! When friends volunteer to help, I try not to let them do it for free. You also get better work that way.  All in all, I’d like the world to know that my stories are inspired by true events. Story-telling is my purpose. Directing my own vision and collaborating with others comes very natural to me. I’m great at what I do and I’m always looking for more opportunities to do it!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay, for food: Japantown and Koreatown come to mind. We could get some curry ramen at Menya Tigre, get some Boba at Volcano Tea House… For Koreatown, we’ll go to MaDang Courtyard for Korean hotdogs. We could go to the rooftop of California Market for some Thanks Pizza and some Red Bean Bungopang at Ye Cafe. But also we could hit up my mom’s favorite Jamaican spot, Natraliart in mid-city or get Fish Tacos at Baja California on Venice. -Depends on the mood. For views, I’d say, The Getty Center and Getty Villa, if that counts.

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?
Shout out to the organization, Hollywood Here and their diversity initiative called #RaiseThePercentage. They connected me to my mentor, Adele Lim. Shoutout to Adele for encouraging to come out to L.A. where the writer’s rooms are. Shout out to my writer’s group, Midnight Writers for their accountability and loving support. To Boston Filmmaker Collaborative for their professional help with my short film, THURSDAY. Especially the talented Lee Francois. And to Elijah Mickelson, coming in with the drone footage that took it to the top…Can’t forget my church community back home, friends, colleagues, family, and God!

Website: https://vimeo.com/jordktcreates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordktcreates/

Other: jordktcreates@gmail.com

Image Credits
Elijah Mickelson