Daily Inspiration: Meet Rae Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rae Jones.

Hi Rae, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was young I used to read aloud to my mom for practice. My favorite game was to start making up the story once I got a few chapters in to see how long it would take her to notice. I suppose this is where my writing journey began. The older I got I continued to write until I was able to pen an essay on Hamlet that earned an academic scholarship to an international high school. As a result, my world began to open up; It was at this same time my interest in film began growing steadily. I was, and am still, especially partial to the screwball comedies of the 30’s and 40’s. It is this quick paced dialogue that largely shaped my style in my writing and storytelling. I began variously consuming as many films as I could. This path naturally led me to Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. During my junior year studying film I applied with the Creative Mind Group for an internship in Cannes for which I was lucky enough to be selected. I worked for two weeks in Cannes in May 2019 which gave me a bird’s eye view of the entire industry from the ground up. My senior year, 2020, I won the grand prize for my debut screenplay. I graduated with a BA in Film and Media with a Minor in Art History from Georgia State University in 2021. I was accepted onto the International Screenwriter Association’s development slate and have been an active member ever since. I’ve gone on to write two other feature length scripts, a few short form content projects, and several editorials.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have been lucky in my life so I will say my struggles have fortunately been few. Still, the most difficult upheaval in my life was when my sister passed unexpectedly in 2019. My sister Alexa was always so proud of me and to lose her so suddenly was earth shattering. A few months after her death I was at Sundance looking through the snowy window of the Atticus cafe when I opened the first page of a tiny red notebook and began to jot down the first ideas for what would ultimately be my breakthrough screenplay “What’s Left Of Us”. This would be the screenplay that earned me a grand prize and more importantly a spot on the development slate for the ISA Network. I was still in college at the time and when I graduated in ‘21 I looked at it as Alexa’s last gift to her little sister. I wrote that story in the throes of grief about an android taking care of a terminally ill girl. I was wrestling with the reality of death and yet it allowed me to begin my career, I had a path onto the development slate once I graduated. There was no limbo. My foot was in the door.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write in multi formats including screenwriting, playwriting, as well as writing for video games and editorials. I specialize in intimate character dramas. I am fascinated with the stories and dynamics of people and relationships. My stories are written in the vein of narratives such as Lost in Translation, Normal People, and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. I’m most proud of winning a grand prize award with my first ever screenplay for the Emerging Screenwriters’ Feature Competition which truly changed my life. My tiger tattoo on my arm was my gift to myself for winning grand prize because I was born in ‘98, the year of the tiger. It is right next to an orange monarch I got in honor of my sister. I hope that through my stories I am able to evoke authentic emotions in people. I want them to feel both the beauty and the pain of being alive in equal measure.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I would say staying open to collaboration. So often, we as artists, have a specific vision of what we want to create but people can surprise you. Building a strong base of other people in your industry whose judgment and taste you trust is vitally important. This allows you the freedom to bounce ideas off one another and transform an otherwise banal piece into a complex tapestry. I’ve always said if I wanted to work alone I would’ve become a novelist. Screenwriting like all aspects of filmmaking is a highly collaborative art. My best piece of advice would be to embrace the community around you and build upon what you learn and continue to create.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://raejones.info
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rae.jones._
• Youtube: @rae._jones
• Other: https://www.networkisa.org/profile/rae-jones and https://filmfreeway.com/RaeJones