Interviews

Published on May 17th, 2019 | by Guest Contributor

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Jay Styles: Producer Extraordinaire for the Inspired

 

Jay Styles is an entrepreneur, multimedia journalist, rising film and television producer located in the city of dreams; Los Angeles, CA. Jay’s current focus is creating and developing original content that informs, inspires and uplifts his target audience. Developed in June 2018, Jay Styles Productions was born; providing a full-service television and film production company. Curated from a single idea, Styles wanted to create a series that implemented the underlining message of always finding the courage to inspire and chase your dreams while facing your fears.

By November 2018, Jay decided to go into full production mode and created his new series, ‘Become Inspired’. ‘Become Inspired’ is a five-episode docu-series that focuses on the tribulations and high success stories through multi-platinum award-winning audio engineer IRKO, Power 106 executive producer Noor Wahba, LA Sports Access and LA Galaxy sports reporter Delmy Barillas, ET online host Jason Carter and actress/director Christina Cooper.  ‘Become Inspired’ has been released on Amazon Prime Video on May 6th, 2019 and is currently able to be streamed. Along with the immediate release of Become Inspired, Styles is currently working on a full-length documentary, writing his first short film all while gearing to shoot season two of ‘Becoming Inspired’.

As a jack of all trades in the entertainment industry; Jay Styles is a force that is to be reckoned with and is an upcoming producer on the rise.

The Hype Magazine decided to dig further into this new docu-series and the man behind the magic.

What inspired you to become a thriving entertainment entrepreneur?

Jay: That’s actually a tough question to answer, to be honest. I think when you hit so many closed doors in this industry it either defeats you mentally and you eventually give up or you choose entrepreneurship to create your own opportunities making a way for yourself. Earlier in my career, I went through a lot of roadblocks and obstacles working in the entertainment industry and was forced into entrepreneurship if I wanted to continue pursuing entertainment. Working as an entertainment host for a couple of years molded me into entrepreneurship due to the lack of well paying hosting gigs therefore, I was forced to find alternative ways to make a living. I’ve always been a visual and creative person even back when I did not realize my gift. Throughout my journey in the entertainment industry, I was constantly faced with the opposition to create my own content because no one wanted to take a chance on me and in doing this, without realizing it then, I was empowering myself to take control of my career and slowly my mindset changed from “how can I be a part of that show” to “I’m going to create my own show and host it” which eventually led to creating and pitching shows for television.

How did your docu-series “Become Inspired” come into fruition?

Jay: It was actually an idea that came to me back in May 2018 due to the number of Instagram messages I would receive from aspiring entertainment hosts wanting to know how I got started in the industry, or how did I get to where I’m at or even some would vent to me about their frustration and setbacks with hosting. So I thought to myself in creating a platform where successful individuals can share their career journey with the world in hopes of inspiring those who are watching. We live in a social media era that is driven by a false sense of instant gratification only showing the best parts of our lives with no record of the struggles we had to endure to achieve our success. We all are guilty of the mentality “never let them see you struggle” but it’s the breakthrough that inspires the next person and the person after that. Become Inspired is a testament for great things to come after the storm and will inspire you to keep pushing.

What events in your life groomed you into becoming a flourishing dynamic entrepreneur in the
entertainment industry?

Jay: So many elements played a role in my personal and professional development. Without pinpointing one particular event, I would have to say not having a mentor throughout most of my career forced me to navigate uncharted waters and learning valuable lessons from mistakes I made in the process. I think this really allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, but not only that; it boosted my confidence to tackle other valuable skills that I’ve honed, mastered and are essential to my success as a producer. I would also have to include the gatekeepers who tell me ‘no” or the naysayers who try to deter me with their doubt has always been a motivating factor for me throughout my career.

What obstacles did you face while creating “Become Inspired” and how did these obstacles groom you into becoming a more skilled producer?

Jay: Well to start, I had no prior knowledge on creating a docu-series or a television show for that matter. I had a good idea, but no prior experience except for creating a music video countdown show ten years ago which aired locally on the CW when I was a radio personality in Columbus GA. But, this was so totally opposite from what I envisioned for Become Inspired, so I started to do a lot of researching and listening to podcasts like Joke and Biago for creating and pitching television shows. I also watched tons of docu-series to get a feel on what I was actually doing and using these shows as a visual template for Become Inspired. I think the fact that I had to do my own research as well as wearing several hats simply because I could not afford to hire several professionals for every task which made me more detailed in performing every task with the care it needed for producing the best results. The fact that I was “all hands on” in creating the series made me better in every skill-set as well as personal and professional development. I’m an even better producer than when I started out and still seeking out storytelling and film classes to become even better.

Hype: Tell us more of your series “Become Inspired”?

Jay: Become Inspired is an inspirational series focusing on the journey to greatness. This season features an Award-Winning audio engineer, a locally known director and actress, an ET Online entertainment host, a Power 106 Executive producer, and a sports reporter. I focused more on entertainment careers this season, but for season two will focus more on featuring individuals who are entrepreneurs in some capacity or those who work in corporate settings at upper-level positions. The overall goal for this series is to inspire people on their journey to accomplishing whatever it is they desire to accomplish. If you desire to be an entrepreneur, but it’s hard and you are on the verge of giving up, I want you to be inspired by someone who went through those same obstacles as well. Or maybe you want to own a franchise and you’re discouraged because your application has been rejected, I want you to be inspired by a franchise owner who was rejected several times before she got her own franchise. You can watch season one on Amazon Prime Video for 1.99 and I can promise you that you’ll be inspired and ready to take action in your own lives.

Hype: Are there any familiar faces that we should look out for in your anticipated series?

Jay: If you’re from the L.A area than I’m pretty sure you are familiar with Sports Reporter Delmy Barillas who is a correspondent for All Access as well as the LA Galaxy. She was also the Los Angeles Clippers correspondent. Christina Cooper who is a director and actress is known locally for writing and developing her own films as well as a television series in which she received an Emmy nomination for. If you tune into Power 106 in the afternoons, you’ll hear Executive Producer Noor Wahba talking over the airwaves with DJ Felli Fel. If you’re into audio engineering than you’ll be familiar with IRKO who has worked with Jay Z, Kanye, PitBull and several other A list artist. And lastly, if you watch ET online, I’m sure you’ve seen Jason Carter come across your screen. Every single person that is featured is handpicked by me because they inspired me in some way, so I’m confident that they will also inspire you.

Hype: What projects can we expect from you in the future?

Jay: I’m definitely looking forward to some projects that I’m currently developing. Without getting too specific, I’m working on a feature-length documentary to pitch to networks, writing a book titled Become Inspired: Your Next Steps which will I’ll release in September. I’m also writing my first short film and will begin filming in 2020. Lastly, I’m getting ready to shoot season 2 of becoming Inspired in Atlanta late July, so definitely looking forward to sharing these future projects with you.

Social Media Links: 

 Website: https://www.youbecomeinspired.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaystylestv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaystylestv
                 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaystylestv
           
Season One trailer: https://youtu.be/HEr90YDrUE0


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