Rising Stars: Meet Jorge M. Gonzalez of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorge M. Gonzalez.

Hi Jorge M., we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Since 2013, my brother Michael and I have always had a love for making movies. We created a YouTube channel called “J&M Productions” (Jorge & Michael), and planned to make a name for ourselves by posting our amateur films online. They were charming and to this day are some of our cherished home videos of me recording my little brother fighting pillows and dressing up in costumes. With each video we learned something new about movie making, and wanted to share it with our friends and family. Even gaining a little fan base in our local church. By 2018 I went off to film school in Orlando: “FIRST Institute”. There I met many creative individuals that impacted my life even still to this day. I learned how to chisel my skills and get to know the indie film world inside and out. But I was always ambitious, and wanted to learn everything I could, so that I can go back to making great videos with all the resources we wish we had when we were kids. Directing and Writing became my soul purpose. Once we graduated with honors, I teamed up with a bunch of my newfound friends to make my first feature film “EX”. We figured since the movies won’t hire us, we’ll just make our own. It was a grueling but heartfelt process, spanning over 2 years that taught us many lessons along the way. The relief I felt when I finally released it to the world to overwhelming praise, was something I wanted to experience for the rest of my life. Since “EX” my brother and I have teamed up with many of our creative friends and family to make other short films that are on our YouTube channel for the public to witness. In 2021, life circumstances lead me to Georgia where my family encouraged me to pursue my dreams, while my brother stayed in Florida to pursue schooling. It was then that we took our filmmaking quite seriously, and have created some of our proudest projects to date. Recently we’ve made films like REACHER, The Stranger, and Black Sheriff. Some of which my brother Michael acted in with me. All with the creative motivation of the two kids that dreamed to one day tell amazing and inspiring stories to the world. One of J&M’s mottos is to “work with what you got”. And we take pride in knowing we can make great things from small beginnings.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was never easy, especially being away from everything and everyone I grew up with to be my safety net. But the end result is what made the struggles worth it. The basic filmmaking woes, wearing multiple hats, and having to do a lot of things by yourself in every phase of production was grueling in the early days. Especially in a Latino family, where everyone is wondering why you’re not “Steven Spielberg” yet can get to your head.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would say people know me to be multitalented. “Having a lot of tools under my belt”. While studying film and writing, I took a liking to photography, VFX, and photoshop. I’ve always been able to draw, but I felt these other tools enhanced the experience. I’ve done many photoshoots and digital art pieces for myself and others. It feels good to know I can express my creativity in many different forms. I have a few pieces I’m proud of that I’ve added to the top of my portfolio, or hung on my wall. But I’m not sure anything beats the movie making. One thing I’ve taught myself and applied to many of our films (and friend’s films) was fight choreography. It’s really awesome when a good fight comes together in the end and people ask you “how did you do that?”

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My brother Michael of course. The “M” to J&M. He’s the other half of my brain that keeps me grounded and motivated. And I feel he’s the only one that truly understands my creative brain, while also having his own talents and insights that I never had to teach him. I’ll love him forever.
Jeff Leiva, and Dariel Paredes, are two close friends of mine. Jeff I met in Highschool, where he studied most of his life to be a music producer. And Dariel I met in film school, where he studied to be a filmmaker just like me. To this day since film school, Dariel has shot all my films. And Jeff has mixed and mastered most of them. Those two I wouldn’t trade for the world, they are my best people and good friends.
Finally my film school teacher: Disco San Andreas. He spoke plain, and he taught me “Make the movies you want to see.” Something I’ll carry with me forever.
There are many friends and family I wish to credit but they remind me all the time to keep going.

Pricing:

• I charge $200 for 2 hours of Photography, and then some.
• Depending on size, I charge $65 for Graphic Design.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jorge_gonzalez95
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@j.mproductions?si=Nj_he2zFYBMqjtol