< PreviousWomen In Business 30 FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2023 Jazz Pitcairn’s interest in fi lmmaking was sparked at a young age. Her grandmother’s enthusiasm while watching James Bond movies rubbed off on Jazz, who relished the opportunity to be transported into another reality. “That admiration later evolved into a passion for creating my own new worlds to dive into and, by age 12, I decided I was going to be an Oscar- winning director one day,” she says. “My parents never blinked.” THE JOURNEY BEGINS At the time, Cayman did not offer a lot of opportunities in fi lm, so Jazz explored her creative side in other ways, performing with the Cayman Drama Society, dancing with the Barnes Dance Academy, playing multiple musical instruments, and developing a love of drawing thanks to her aunt, artist Janice Brown. After GCSEs, Jazz attended Trinity College School in Ontario, Canada and won the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts award upon graduation. “These disparate yet combined experiences helped me develop my interest in the arts in general, but also provided me with the tools I would later combine for making movies,” she explains. Her parents fully supported her, and encouraged her to attend New York University (NYU) to study fi lmmaking. “According to my mom, if you do something you enjoy you won’t work a day in your life and will still be paid,” says Jazz. While at NYU, Jazz made more than 25 student short fi lms; interned at major companies like A24, HBO, and CBS; and after graduation, worked as an assistant to writers, directors, and producers on television shows and movies such as Dickinson with Silas Howard. “A large part of building a career in the fi lm and television business is understanding the ‘business’ side of it,” she explains. “So, I took every opportunity while at NYU to intern at various entertainment companies in multiple departments getting a holistic idea. I worked in casting, distribution, marketing, and editing departments. “After graduating, I began taking assistant opportunities – working for major writers, directors, and producers on various projects to observe how ‘Hollywood’ works, and also networking with different industry members.” After a year of working as a writer’s assistant on Season 3 of HBO’s Emmy-winning series “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, she landed her fi rst major job in the industry. “I was lucky enough to have a boss who saw my commitment and potential, which led to her promoting me to staff writer on Season 4 of the series when I was just 23 years old.” The season, the fi nal in the series, has been nominated for a 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series. IVAN After writing on “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, Jazz decided to focus on her dreams of directing and making a short fi lm. The resulting nine-minute short fi lm “Ivan” is described by Jazz as a natural disaster/ political drama, and stars Sasha Lane, who portrays a mother keeping her family safe during the wrath of Hurricane Ivan that devastated Grand Cayman in 2004. With her personal experiences to drive her, Jazz utilised a small budget and overwhelming community support to fi lm over two days. “On 11 September 2004, I was a prisoner of the elements,” she says. “I witnessed the quiet panic CREATING NEW WORLDS Jazz Pitcairn’s journey into fi lmmaking Sasha Lane stars in “Ivan”.Women In Business 30 FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2023 Jazz Pitcairn’s interest in fi lmmaking was sparked at a young age. Her grandmother’s enthusiasm while watching James Bond movies rubbed off on Jazz, who relished the opportunity to be transported into another reality. “That admiration later evolved into a passion for creating my own new worlds to dive into and, by age 12, I decided I was going to be an Oscar- winning director one day,” she says. “My parents never blinked.” THE JOURNEY BEGINS At the time, Cayman did not offer a lot of opportunities in fi lm, so Jazz explored her creative side in other ways, performing with the Cayman Drama Society, dancing with the Barnes Dance Academy, playing multiple musical instruments, and developing a love of drawing thanks to her aunt, artist Janice Brown. After GCSEs, Jazz attended Trinity College School in Ontario, Canada and won the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts award upon graduation. “These disparate yet combined experiences helped me develop my interest in the arts in general, but also provided me with the tools I would later combine for making movies,” she explains. Her parents fully supported her, and encouraged her to attend New York University (NYU) to study fi lmmaking. “According to my mom, if you do something you enjoy you won’t work a day in your life and will still be paid,” says Jazz. While at NYU, Jazz made more than 25 student short fi lms; interned at major companies like A24, HBO, and CBS; and after graduation, worked as an assistant to writers, directors, and producers on television shows and movies such as Dickinson with Silas Howard. “A large part of building a career in the fi lm and television business is understanding the ‘business’ side of it,” she explains. “So, I took every opportunity while at NYU to intern at various entertainment companies in multiple departments getting a holistic idea. I worked in casting, distribution, marketing, and editing departments. “After graduating, I began taking assistant opportunities – working for major writers, directors, and producers on various projects to observe how ‘Hollywood’ works, and also networking with different industry members.” After a year of working as a writer’s assistant on Season 3 of HBO’s Emmy-winning series “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, she landed her fi rst major job in the industry. “I was lucky enough to have a boss who saw my commitment and potential, which led to her promoting me to staff writer on Season 4 of the series when I was just 23 years old.” The season, the fi nal in the series, has been nominated for a 2023 Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series. IVAN After writing on “A Black Lady Sketch Show”, Jazz decided to focus on her dreams of directing and making a short fi lm. The resulting nine-minute short fi lm “Ivan” is described by Jazz as a natural disaster/ political drama, and stars Sasha Lane, who portrays a mother keeping her family safe during the wrath of Hurricane Ivan that devastated Grand Cayman in 2004. With her personal experiences to drive her, Jazz utilised a small budget and overwhelming community support to fi lm over two days. “On 11 September 2004, I was a prisoner of the elements,” she says. “I witnessed the quiet panic CREATING NEW WORLDS Jazz Pitcairn’s journey into fi lmmaking Sasha Lane stars in “Ivan”. Women In Business 31 FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2023 CREATING NEW WORLDS “A large part of building a career in the film and television business is understanding the ‘business’ side of it.” – Jazz Pitcairn of my parents as they struggled to fi nd light in a windowless room. I heard the roar of the ocean invading our home and the persistent licks of rain that tore apart our roof. “For 36 hours, we were abandoned to live with our worst fears. Nearly 20 years later, that trauma still remains with Hurricane Ivan’s survivors. “As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate Ivan as more than just my story, and I am cognisant of the many layers of destruction it caused for Caymanians whether psychologically, physically, emotionally, or economically.” Jazz has tried to refl ect these themes and experiences in the short fi lm. “I really love Cayman,” she says. “I just hope that the movie will do justice to some of the experiences our community had. This fi lm was really a labour of love for me. In as much as it resonates to us as a community, it’s bigger than that … it’s also a human story about loss and rebuilding.” “Ivan” has been selected to world premiere at the Academy Award-qualifying Hawaii International Film Festival, and screen at multiple Oscar-qualifying fi lm festivals. Jazz hopes it will act as a proof of concept for a feature fi lm in the future. ADVICE FOR OTHERS “I’d love to see more Cayman women writers and directors pursue their dreams,” says Jazz, who advises would-be fi lmmakers to not just rely on talent, but also utilise determination and confi dence. “You need grit,” she says. “So much of this job is about networking and advocating for yourself and never giving up despite the inevitable sea of rejections you will receive. You have to be steadfast in your aspiration.” She also encourages others to be open-minded about the journey to reaching their goals. “There is no set way to becoming a professional writer or director, and so you have to be open to taking any opportunity that arises, even if it’s not in the entertainment industry at all. These experiences plant seeds and pay dividends…” Jazz is grateful for the support her family gave her and for the values they instilled in her growing up. Her mother taught her that talent can only take you so far, so hard work and reliability are a must. “And, above all, to treat others with kindness,” she says. “Kindness is free. My siblings and I received this message day in, day out. It has paid off for all of us.” Sasha Lane stars in “Ivan”. Jazz watches the monitor on the “Ivan” set. Jazz’s personal experiences inspired the fi lm. Jazz Pitcairn APPLEBYGLOBAL.COM INSPIRING WOMEN TO WIN IN BUSINESS Since the early 1980’s, Appleby has inspired more women than ever to join its legal and business services teams while providing career development at every level. Congratulations and thank you to all our talented and knowledgeable staff for giving your best each day! To find out how you can take advantage of the services we provide, please contact us: +1 345 949 4900 cayman@applebyglobal.com Women In Business 32 FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2023Next >