The Heartbeat of Filmmaking with Director/Writer Jay Duplass
Written By: Jon Bregel - Founder, Filmmaker & Coach, Nourish
Last September, The Baltimorons opened in theaters across the U.S. and Canada. I had the privilege of serving as Director of Photography on this feature, directed by Jay Duplass and co-written with lead actor Michael Strassner.
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I recently watched Jay and Michael join Rich Roll for a long-form podcast conversation about the film and the creative process behind it. Their dialogue touched directly on themes that are central to this community: how to ignore the gatekeepers, create now rather than waiting for the “right moment,” and shape a life around creativity rather than compromise.
What stood out most to me in this conversation is how closely it reflects the philosophy that first drew me to the Duplass Brothers’ work years ago and that guided the process of making The Baltimorons. For Jay, for Michael, and for Rich Roll too, creativity is not about chasing validation. It is about showing up for your own art, right where you are, with what you already have.
If I could boil down what I learned from Jay while making this film, it would be this:
Be fearlessly yourself in all that you do and all of who you are. Surround yourself with big-hearted collaborators. And be a kind person while doing it.
That is not just a nice idea. It is the most reliable way forward. When you strip away comparison, trend-chasing, and the pressure to do what you are “supposed” to do, what remains is the clearest compass you will ever have: your inner voice.
Here is how I see it:
-When you tune into who you are and listen deeply, you uncover what you uniquely have to offer the world.
-You are not your heroes. And what you have to offer is not what they have to offer. That is the point.
-By manifesting from your true self, you give others permission to do the same
Roots of the ethos:
I first encountered this ethos in 2015, when Jay’s brother Mark delivered one of the most impactful talks I have ever heard at SXSW. One line has stayed with me ever since:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZeWOAliA6Y
No one is going to swoop in and give you permission to be who you are. No one is going to anoint you as ready. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you realize something else: you are already enough. You are already equipped. And in Mark’s words, the cavalry is you.
That message, along with Jay and Michael’s conversation with Rich Roll, feels like the perfect companion to The Baltimorons.
So I’ll close with this question for you to carry:
What is your creative life already asking of you, and are you listening?
-Jon Bregel, Founder, Nourish
