Jonny Zeller combines his natural ability to bring crazy ideas to life and his extensive experience in spearheading projects for the world\u2019s largest brands to produce mind-boggling content for the amusement and enjoyment of many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interview with the 2022 MUSE Creative Awards Winner \u2013 Jonny Zeller<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q1. Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your creative background.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n *It\u2019s hard to brag about yourself in 1st person, so I\u2019ve chosen a 3rd-person bio written by my incredible publicist Amanda Samann from Revolver PR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of people can come up with great ideas. Jonny Zeller can do that with the best of them but he also has the resources to actually bring just about any crazy idea to life. Toss in his curated network of best-in-class actors\/musicians\/influencers, and it\u2019s hard not to want to jump on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeller\u2019s track record of running and selling a media company, combined with his extensive experience spearheading projects for the world\u2019s largest brands, offers a unique perspective on the intersection of culture and content. Jonny\u2019s work has gone on to secure various prestigious awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His narrative work on a short film, SCARS (based on a viral reddit.com writing prompt), has landed high praise at top film festivals worldwide. His work as 2nd Unit Director on the feature film DEADLY ILLUSIONS starring Kristin Davis, Dermot Mulroney, and Shanola Hampton helped grab the coveted title of #1 film Globally on Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q2. What made you become\/why did you choose to become a creative?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know if being \u2018creative\u2019 is an inherent choice. I think some are born with the ability; then, the choice comes when we decide whether or not to pursue it as a career. It can be a scary and abstract proposition, especially when you grow up in a part of the country\/world where it’s much safer to choose a \u201cnormal job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve come a long way from a kid with a VHS video camera making snowboarding and skateboarding videos in the backyard of a small Midwestern town. The entertainment industry isn\u2019t at the forefront of people\u2019s minds in the Midwest so my parents were rightfully sceptical of my desire to take a leap of faith and move halfway across the country to pursue a career in directing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t imagine how many brilliant creatives are out there but just haven\u2019t been given the opportunity to shine. Everyone deserves the ability to express themselves through their version of creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q3. Tell us more about your business\/company, job profile, and what you do.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a Director, I get to tell stories of all shapes and sizes. Lately, I got to the conclusion that there must be a better term for what I actually do. I\u2019ve grown to like \u201cStoryverse Architect.\u201d The backbone of my creative inspiration is rooted in multi-platform\/transmedia storytelling as a way to create a new style of content that engages audiences in a more robust \u201cstory world.\u201d This goes far beyond having extra deliverables for social platforms: It\u2019s about creating a journey the viewer chooses to go on, a journey that helps the audience migrate across platforms. I\u2019m very passionate about this type of storytelling because it can be applied to all forms of content from branded campaigns to narrative feature films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My MUSE Platinum Award-winning project was created by Champagne & Gyoza for an NFT collection titled Cloud Niners. Champagne & Gyoza is a creative studio that works with brands, studios and talent of all types to produce multi-platform content for any sized screen. We understand that pre-set menus aren\u2019t for everyone. After all, the last time we ordered directly off the menu, we may or may not have been at a late-night taco joint. \u201cCan I get a number 7, please?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why we have created \u201c\u00e0 la carte\u201d opportunities for both brands and agencies to create cinematic content at scale with a sense of agility that would make even a contortionist take note. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Q4. What does \u201ccreativity\u201d mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone who has worked in the creative field knows that you can\u2019t survive just being \u2018one thing.\u2019 First, you come up with an idea\u2014great! But then you might also need the ability to promote, sell, pull together a team and find the funding. Sometimes you might even have to be the camera person, editor, producer, etc. I personally associate creativity with having a final product to share. This means that being creative goes far beyond the art and encompasses everything from ideation to execution to distribution\u2014at least, to me. I\u2019m creative throughout the whole process (and I love that), but I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019ve become creatively fulfilled until I have the finished product staring back at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m incredibly thankful for the opportunities I\u2019ve had to express my creative abilities, but it hasn\u2019t been an easy road, and I have a long way to go until I feel I\u2019ve \u201cmade it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q5. To you, what makes a \u201ccreative\u201d idea and\/or design?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The bar for \u2018creativity\u2019 continues to rise and unfortunately, the by-product is that we\u2019ve all become a bit jaded when seeing new work. Something that would\u2019ve been mind-blowing five years ago might seem commonplace now. Therefore, I think it’s essential to continually step back and appreciate others\u2019 quality work on its own rather than always drawing comparisons to learn something new and come up with the next idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winning Entry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Experience Life On Cloud Nine” is one of the first live-action NFT teaser films ever produced. This narrative \u2026 (Read more at MUSE Creative Awards<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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