Episode 14 - Jay Alvarez

Bedroom with Patrick Sean Gibson

Episode 14 - Jay Alvarez // Director. Writer.
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“Jay Alvarez is someone I spent every day with in high school. We had the same advisory class, which most of you probably know better as homeroom. Over those four years, I really grew to love this dude. On the surface, Jay and I might have seemed like we belonged to different crowds in high school - him, more of the rebellious scholarly type; me, more of the social skateboarder. But the truth is, on the inside I relate to Jay on so many levels. We both come from the same small town, both grew up playing our respective sports, and at 18, we both left that town to move to bigger cities and dive deeper into our creative practices. Jay and I have that kind of friendship where, even if we don’t see or talk to each other for months - or sometimes even years - we always pick up right where we left off. Same old bullshit, same old us. It’s been incredible to watch his filmmaking career blossom, and I can’t wait to see where his work goes from here.
In this episode of BEDROOM™, Jay and I reflect on our shared experience growing up in the small town of Sonoma. Jay talks about his love of writing and how he found his way into filmmaking. He also shares the story of winning the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival for his feature film “I Play With The Phrase Each Other” - an achievement that led to the legendary Russo Brothers championing him and supporting his career ever since. We discuss our ongoing collaborations through his feature films and we dive into the importance of visual design in filmmaking. Jay also shares behind-the-scenes stories from the making of his latest feature, “Something’s More Than One Thing”, and gives us a sneak peek into what he’s working on next.
From there, the podcast takes a wild turn as we play "F*ck, Marry, Kill," and Jay tells the story of a staged kidnapping he orchestrated as a teenager. Yes, you read that right - it's a crazy story, and if you're sensitive to that kind of thing, you might want to skip that part. We also get into a heated round of Bedroom Banter, where Jay answers a rapid-fire series of questions, including sharing his absolute hatred for a certain overrated Hollywood writer. It's a doozy of an episode, filled with plenty of laughs, and I can’t wait for a future round two!
Also, a quick heads-up: this episode was recorded earlier in the year, just before Jay was set to debut his latest feature at the Raindance Film Festival in London. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode, where Jay leaves a special audio message to recap about how the festival went, along with some other fun anecdotes.
Big shout outs to Jay for coming onto the pod. Welcome to the BEDROOM™, y’all! WORLD WIDE PEACE!” - PSG
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Jay Alvarez’s Socials & Websites:
Instagram: @realjayalvarez
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@realJayAlvarez
X ( Twitter ): www.x.com/realjayalvarez
Website: www.jayalvarez.net

Support the show

If you want to join Patrick Sean Gibson's Monthly Sticker Club, or support the Bedroom Podcast, check out his Patreon: patreon.com/patrickseangibson
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Follow Patrick on Instagram: @patrickseangibson
Peep Patrick's Website: patrickseangibson.com