Meet Jordan Hannah | Screenwriter, Director, Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Hannah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Various family members commented from an early age that I was always funny and always had a story to tell, one which would get longer and more complicated in the telling and that would change overtime. As a kid in Houston I had different kinds of artistic experiences such as studying improv, competing in a comedy competition, and participating in opera. As a young adult, working various retail jobs, although they brought in needed income, left me miserable and anxious because it required me to go weeks without doing anything creative.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My first short film, “The Scars We Bare” (2014} was a nineteen-minute silent film, except for one line, “Get out!”. Although I had a strong visual sense for the look of my scenes, at the time, I had no confidence that I could write effective dialogue. Now, I write every day and I try not to wait for “inspiration”. I’ve adopted the motto of ‘write badly, write often’. To date, I have written over ten screenplays at various stages of development. I wouldn’t say I have overcome the challenges. Being in a creative career is a constant battle to overcome a multitude of challenges: work-life balance, the demands of family, raising money as an independent artist, etc. In 2022, I will finally get to shoot my award-winning screenplay, “Death By Daylight”, a dark comedy about the perils of geek culture. Also, I am currently in pre-production for my first feature film, “A World With No Heroes”, a coming-of-age story that is heavily based on my childhood in upstate New York.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Houston is a big, diverse foodie town. We might do a food-truck tour in various parts of the city and we would definitely have to get brunch at Lucille’s in the Museum District and food from the Asian Market off of 99. I love art and photography so finding and photographing the latest graffiti art would be a must. The theatre scene in Houston is vibrant so we might see something at the Hobby Center, the Alley, or one of the other local theatres. Who knows, if it’s the right time of year, I might draft my friend on my team to write, shoot, and edit a short film for the Houston 48-hour Film Festival.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My story wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the love, support, and risk a woman took on me 20 years ago. My mom, Vicki Seldon, took me in when I was a kid. I had been in foster care and was bouncing around between family members. She glimpsed talent in me and introduced me to classical music and classic pop music, theater, comedy, acting. As my life has transitioned into writing, directing, and cinematography my mother has been my greatest supporter, pushing me even as an adult to make my dreams realities.

Website: https://www.crypticherostudios.com/

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