JON-ALEXANDER GENSON AND ALL THAT ENCOMPASSES—
This is the ride:
I have the communicative skills and creative talents necessary to bring diverse voices and points of view together and to foster collaboration among members in a community as we work together to tackle a complex problem.
Please take a moment to explore my site, a.k.a. professional portfolio, where you’ll find details on my background, experience, skills and more. To learn more or connect on an opportunity, don’t hesitate to reach out.
ABOUT ME
My Story
We are frequently measured against the average person when difference should be viewed as an asset rather than a deficit. As a writer, an English major, I’ve spent my collegiate years honing the combination of diction, syntax, style, narrative structure, form, etc. My years in the academy have also been a period of awakening and reckoning, shedding light on ongoing issues within the current socioeconomic and political environment. Issues such as climate change, systemic racism, global terrorism, police brutality, political corruption, nonconforming gender ideology, and many more have been presented to me with the intention of not only understanding the roots of the problems, but with the caveat that in informing ourselves and accepting a bit of culpability, we are now susceptible to change. And with change, we may ignite actual progression.
MY EXPERIENCE
Background & Expertise
My body of works are not meant to be viewed as apotropaic by nature, but by design. The collection is not meant to be hagiographic, but inchoate because it is ever-evolving. Idiosyncratic tendencies found in the following are welcome; and ambivalence is all right too. This is, in a way, a salutation to the academy, and the many dear individuals that have filtered in & out of my experience. On to the milieu of Los Angeles, California, the English Department has molded a capable, prepared, and understanding member of society. This is a mélange of sorts, aberrant in hopes, and the embodiment of the liminal state between education and career. Edification can be healthy for the soul with a didactic approach to the page. I mean to delineate and demarcate what I considered a travail (in the least pretentious intention of the word). My inexorable ambitions fuel me, inspire me to rise from the cushy confines of my mattress each morning. Mired in quotidian details, the collected works are meant to synergistically operate, and stimulate in unification.
November 2012 - December 2018
TEAM LEADER, UNITED STATES ARMY
Maintained detailed administrative and procedural processes in order to improve accuracy and efficiency within the team.
Maintained detailed administrative and procedural processes to improve accuracy and efficiency within the team.
Both internal and external departmental communication.
Conducted detainee operations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Wrote daily reports, provided for public safety by maintaining order, responded to emergencies, and promoted good community relations.
May 2019 - October 2019
PARK ARTISTS GROUP
INTERN, TALENT CLIENT
Handled daily electronic submissions using Breakdown Express, etc.
Acted as a liaison between actors and casting directors to confirm audition times and statuses
Ran company social media accounts
Taped auditions and reviewed submissions
Administrative support and phones
Went on various casting calls and auditions for Theatrical and Commercial work
June 2019 - October 2019
APERTURE ENTERTAINMENT
INTERN, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
· Compose Script Coverage and notes on feature submissions and templates
· Analyze and grade screenplays during development process
· Handled daily electronic submissions using Breakdown Express, etc.
· Rolling calls
· Contribute to generation of ideas and solutions for script problems
October 2019 - January 2020
LIONSGATE
Sort/deliver mail to various offices
Input all Federal Express, UPS, etc. are entered into the database and printed out labels for packaging & pickup
SHEREE GUITAR ENTERTAINMENT
Executive Literary Assistant
January 2020 - May 2021
Literary & Development Coordinator
May 2021 - Present
Our diverse client roster includes writers on:
ABC'S BLACKISH and THE ROOKIE
CBS's NCIS NEW ORLEANS, MACGYVER and THE UNICORN
NBC's NEW AMSTERDAM and ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST
Fox's BOB'S BURGERS and DUNCANVILLE
Netflix's DISENCHANTMENT, FULLER HOUSE, SELENA: THE SERIES
EDUCATION
What I’ve Learned
August 2016 - May 2019
BA ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Studied Creative Writing and Film Studies under professors such as Ricardo Cruz, Joe Amato, Kass Fleisher, Gabe Gudding, etc. Mentored by Dr. Kass Fleisher — through the format of Independent Study: the Process of Screenwriting.
January 2014 - January 2015
BA NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Upon completion of 31B Military Police OSUT training, a 21 week course in Fort Leonardwood, I began my collegiate career in Marquette, MI, studying Criminal Justice. After 2 semesters I was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, where I discovered my true passion was for the creative, and not policing.
June 2013 - October 2013
31B MILITARY POLICE SCHOOL
10 week engrossing, grueling, and strenuous basic training. This was followed by an 11-12 week course structure, centered on Law & Order.
LIVING - ROOM
Written by Jon-Alexander Genson
SHORT FILM SCRIPT PUBLICATION
Everything we do on this planet has expectations in one way, shape, or form. Deviate from that, and everything starts to fall off the rails. What happens when we keep pushing against that barrier? On the brink of an alcohol/drug-induced bender, the main character feels herself slipping further and further away from the habitual norm of society’s day-to-day life. The question is, is this so wrong? In “Living Room,” we explore what it means to have these sexual, political, and social transgressions in today’s climate.
PRODUCTION
Due to Covid-19, my wonderful producers and I were forced to push our production schedule. We were originally set for March 2020, but are now glad to announce that we begin shooting on November 28th, 2020. Can't wait for the world to see what's to come from our Anthology, GENERATION WHY, and the first episode, a short film all on its own merit: LIVING - ROOM.
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS
LIVING-ROOM
(TEN-PAGE EXCERPT)
Short Film Script
(page 96-104)
On the eve of her wedding night, rebel-natured Sasha Saladino contemplates her future amidst a drug-charged bender and a love triangle — the effortless charmer and free spirit, Cam, and forever-projecting drug dealer, Ozzy, who keeps their party of three going until things begin to spiral out of control.
This is a story of a woman who is set to marry, which is standard practice in how we do things here in America, mostly because we're all scared to go against the grain of norms.
MORE TO COME —
Currently being revised:
THE [UN]WELL (One-Hour Drama/Thriller Pilot):
LOGLINE: A group of friends reunites ten years after graduating from high school, but when the idyllic friend goes missing, their lives begin to unravel and tear down everything they have each individually worked for while deep dark secrets float to the surface.
SLACKER (Half-Hour Dramedy):
An introvert Slacker by definition, Iann Croff tries to juggle his existential dread, the paparazzi, and his famous identical twin brother, who he writes all the lyrics for and plays patsy to whenever the Rockstar needs someone to take the fall for his bender induced actions. But hey, it pays the bills, so Slacker doesn’t need to get a real job. That is until he starts falling for his brother’s girlfriend.
ON THE WAYSIDE (One-Hour Dramedy):
A very loose, contemporary take on Jack Kerouac's ON THE ROAD.
In the diaspora of contemporary America, a late 20-something freeloader and a 16-year-old girl embark on a meaningless journey of existential drifting that spans from one end of the country to the other where they meet new people, drama, and conflicts at every turn and though they tell themselves they would rather swim in a meaningless and delirious sea of celestial gazing, they always find themselves proffering a helpful hand.
MY PROJECTS
What I’ve Done
HIGH REGARD
A Short Story
A published short story of mine—link below.
https://english.illinoisstate.edu/euphemism/13-2/high-regard/
PAST IS PARASITE & PROLOGUE
TOFU INK ARTS PRESS // Poetry Publication
An ever-evolving collection of code-switching Poetic content. Poetry emphasizes syntax, rhetoric, sounds in ways that no other medium draws near, and I firmly believe that participating in the art form benefits my work in short-fiction and screenwriting. Exterior benefits aside, my intentions within the poems collected are of their own, and I am proud of the result.
SALADINO
Short Film
On a cold streak in life, John Saladino struggles to rekindle a friendship with the only family he has left. However, with help from a less than fortunate soul, John begins to regain his confidence and happiness in life.
Saladino is a short film that my crew and I have recently wrapped on. I wrote, directed, and produced the film myself, with the help of two cinematographers. I’ve attached the script for the short, which I had written previously for my independent study under Dr. Fleisher, whom also starred in the film. The script underwent various stages of rewrites, preparing me for the inevitable future of perpetual rewrites in Hollywood. In writing this, I found myself constantly tinkering with dialogue, character arcs, action points, etc. So much so that trivial matters throughout the every-day were all intertwined with thoughts of each scene of the story. A moment of self-discovery, where I realized that the stories, I am invested into at the time, are with me at every moment—my stories engulf me, and I am fond of the notion.
THE ODYSSEY PIECES
Quick & aimless pieces I wrote while at Illinois State University
To provide a tangible showcase of the diversity in my work, I’ve included a portfolio of my pieces associated with Odyssey's platform. Take a moment to explore below, and reach out if you’re interested in learning more about what I have to offer.
SOCIAL PIECE
Dating Applications Have Ruined The Modern Relationship
"Neither of us feels the need to contact one another after that." https://www.theodysseyonline.com/modern-relationship
SPORTS PIECE
The Brewers Are A Bright Light In A Dark Milwaukee 2018
"The small market Brewers are turning heads as they dominate the National League." https://www.theodysseyonline.com/brewers-bright-light-dark-2018
SHORT STORY
An Honest Short Story: The Searcher
"Behind the steering wheel, everything clears in mind." https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-searcher-fiction
