JOB 28:22
"Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: And the light shall shine upon thy ways." (KJV)
"You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you." (NLT)
Jason Taylor is destined to become this generation's newest and most versatile filmmaker and that journey started for him before he even realized it. Although he was always a quiet child, he fell in love with writing by age nine and wrote a stage play for his family church. Once he entered high school, he put pen to paper and became a rapper. That career transitioned him into his true and purposeful calling -- television and films.
He is inspired by directors such as Spike Lee, Regina King, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Gina Prince-Bythewood, John Singleton, and Jordan Peele, to name a few. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, Marvel to Eddie Murphy, Rom-coms to Thrillers, Jason is a lover of all of them all.
With a foundation in dramatic writing, he can dabble in any genre for a project.
In 2010, Jason answered a Twitter ad for an internship opportunity with a TV network and was given the chance to become an intern for BET Networks. He worked closely with the original programming department as well as the other departments ranging from casting to postproduction. He assisted the legal department during the 2010 BET Awards show, where he helped chase down Chris brown after his Michael Jackson tribute. Jason was also able to assist the New York legal team during the first two years of the BET Experience (2013-2014). Once his internship was over, he become a photographer and pursued his own freelance opportunities. He was able to take what he learned during his time at BET Networks and he utilized that for his own career.
As Jason journeyed deeper into the creative rabbit hole that is photography, it sparked his interest to learn more about the production of film and television. He became a production assistant (PA) on several indie projects until he decided to direct and film his very first documentary feature film in 2017, titled "Fight the Force." The film discussed the positive side of women's history from 1993-2018. It also paid homage to Queen Latifah, the release of her timeless single "UNITY". Fight the force premiered on November 16, 2018, which is the same day the Black Reign album was released 25 years prior. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he wrote and directed "Validated Freedom," his first short which was a silent film. It was released in November 2020 and was selected for a few film festivals. In the premiere week, it garnered 800+ views.
Fast forward to today, he is a writer and director for his own production company called Actknowledge Productions which focuses on diverse shorts, feature films, and inclusive scripted and unscripted shows. He is a writer, director, producer, and editor on several of his own projects. His company is developing a full slate of projects to help usher in a new wave of television programming and films. Jason's dream is to be a prominent writer and director and to help others find their voice.
