Meet Jakey Lutsko

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jakey Lutsko.

Hi Jakey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Jakey Lutsko, and I’m a musician and filmmaker. I write, record, produce, mix, and master all of my music. I also write, direct, edit, and score my own short films.

Growing up, I always loved music and film, and was exposed to so much of it at a young age through my two older brothers, Alec and Nick. Nick, who’s a decade older than me, is also an artist! His influence no doubt inspired my artistic journey. I remember being a little kid dancing at his local school and church performances, and listening to his albums in awe of what he was pursuing.

In elementary school, I started taking piano lessons, and in middle school, I began playing percussion (xylophone and drums).
In high school, I was the Drum Captain in our marching band. I Started making YouTube videos/skits in high school, and eventually joined my brother’s band, “Nick Lutsko & The Gimmix”. I played xylophone, sang harmonies, and dressed up as an orange dinosaur creature named Brother Cobb. It was pretty wild haha.

Once I got to college, I decided to pursue a major in filmmaking while continuing in the band. Through my college journey, I made multiple award winning short films, winning titles such as “Best Director” at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival, among others. One of my shorts, “Fragments” was shown at the prestigious Atlanta Film Festival.

At the tail end of College, I began hopping on various indie-feature horror film sets, primarily in the camera department, and also established my own videography business; filming things such as weddings, music videos, and live concerts.

While doing all of this, I started writing and producing my own music. It started out as fumbling around in GarageBand, but eventually led me to fully learning Logic Pro. I began to find my own artistic identity through this process and experimenting, primarily leaning into making alternative hip-hop and edm music.
I departed from my brother’s band to focus on my own journey, and began playing shows all around Chattanooga. I’ve always been inspired by his theatrical elements of his shows, and have tried to incorporate my own version of that.
For example, during my song “SASQUATCH”, one of my friends, Trevor Whalen, will sprint through the crowd in a Bigfoot costume, dancing and enticing crowd goers to get up on stage with us while I continue rapping and playing the xylophone.

I’ve put out many singles and music videos, along with two self-produced EP’s, “Directionless” and “Chemical Makeup”, and I’m currently working on getting my first album out by the end of the year. I’ve released a couple singles for it- including “Hey Ho Lutsko” and “Sellout”.

In 2022, I picked up a part time teaching position in the film department at Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts for two years. I absolutely loved my time there, and it was inspiring to see bright students develop their own passions for film. During my teaching, I began working on my first feature horror film- which is currently being moved into Production, with a targeted release date of 2027. I’m so excited about this, and can’t wait to share more.

My entire life consists of bouncing back and forth between music and film, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. When I feel burnt out on one, I turn to the other.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A huge obstacle is trying to be seen and stand out in a content based, AI-driven society. It’s always discouraging to pour your heart, soul, and finances, into a project, just to feel like it’s just slipped under the radar. I know every artist knows the feeling, and deep down I think we’re all masochists cause we keep doing it haha.

Finances are always a huge obstacle. Films are such a beautifully, collaborative medium, but you need money and resources to make them happen. I’ve been on sets where I’ve been exploited and underpaid, and those experiences grew me in strongly believing in always taking care of your crew.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an artist who specializes in writing, directing, editing, and scoring my own short horror films, while also writing, producing, mixing, and mastering my own alternative hip-hop/edm music.

I’m really proud of being able to creatively dip my toes into so many different directions. Every project is always conceived with the idea of trying to one up the last. I have some very cool things coming up that I’m working on- most notably my first feature film, that I’ll be writing and directing, and my first solo album.

I also recently started my own production company, Lutsko Productions, to put together this feature film, and to boost my videography business with a legitimate practice.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think the most important quality to any artistic success is having a strong, empathetic passion for creating. As long as that passion is there and driving you, I think you’re on the right track.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyholutsko/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakeylutsko
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zuszBqAUfWClRwlXHDppI