Email
PrintEx-Tulsan - Jason Connell, filmmaker, producer and director
Catching up with the award-winning producer of "Strictly Background."
Vital stats: Born and raised in Tulsa; attended Edison High School, Tulsa Community College and Oklahoma State University; founded a film and television production and distribution company, Connell Creations, in Tulsa in 1999
Now: 38 years old; owner of Los Angeles-based Connell Creations; founder and producer of the United Film Festivals
What drew you to film? I can remember watching “Jaws” when I was 9 years old and it having an everlasting effect on me. I started to realize that filmmaking was an actual career. A few years later, Francis Ford Coppola came to Tulsa and made “The Outsiders” and “Rumble Fish.” This absolutely fascinated me. I remember begging my mother to take me down to the set so I could see the production.
Why was Tulsa a good place to start your career? Tulsa actually has a really big art community, so growing up and seeing others that had made it, such as Tim Blake Nelson, Alfre Woodard, Larry Clark, Jeannie Tripplehorn, Mary Kay Place, etc., it was inspiring and a great starting point for me.
Why did you decide to move your company? In 2004, I had outgrown corporate videos, wedding videos and commercial work and was more interested in creating feature films and television shows that would reach much larger audiences. I knew I had to move to Los Angeles to take that next step, so I packed up everything I had and made the one-way trip.
The company’s debut feature film, “Strictly Background,” won numerous awards. Why was it so well received? It is a heartfelt and humorous documentary about 10 movie extras trying to make it in Hollywood. Everyone wants to see what goes on behind the curtain, and by casting really lovable, humorous characters in a good light, audiences were able to connect with them. If you’re able to do that in a documentary, I think you’ve succeeded.
How did the United Film Festivals (UFF) get started? Having attended the first-ever Tulsa Overground Film Festival, I remember just sitting there in the seats and saying to myself, “Next year, I will have a film in this festival.” And true to my word, I made my first short film and it was accepted into Tulsa Overground. A few years later, I did my next short film, but this time it was left out of the lineup. Having met other Tulsa filmmakers who were left out of the festival, I set out and created my own.
For the UFF, Tulsa is now alongside host cities such as Los Angeles and New York. Why Tulsa? People do joke when they see Tulsa in the mix of these other major markets, but it’s where it started. So even though it’s smaller than the other ones, it grows every year. I’ve always said you can only be from one place, and I’m proud that I was born and raised in Tulsa.
What are you currently working on? I just produced and distributed another great documentary film that deals with the rise and fall of Showbiz Pizza and the animatronic rock band they had named “The Rock-afire Explosion.” Having grown up in the ’80s, the film does an amazing job of taking you back to your childhood. We’re also working with an accomplished TV producer to pitch a reality series based on “Strictly Background” to networks. We are also directing and producing several new documentaries, getting our first feature narrative into production and getting set to distribute two new indie films.
Do you ever make it back to Tulsa? I make it a point to come back to Tulsa each year to run the Tulsa UFF and stay an extra week to spend valuable time with friends and family. That is the one thing you give up when you move away from home, and I cherish the time I can spend with them.
Jason Connell’s favorite things about growing up in Tulsa
Tulsa Roughneck games at Skelly Stadium
The Oklahoma Outlaws
Wizards Arcade
The Boman Twin movie theater
Green Country Soccer
The Loaf ’n’ Ladle (his parents’ downtown restaurant)
Visits to Piggly Wiggly and Sound Warehouse on Cherry Street
Strolling through Woodward Park and around Swan Lake
Playing disc golf at Riverside Park
Connell’s first feature film, “Strictly Background,” achieved distribution and was released in 2008. It is now available on Netflix and Amazon; at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Hollywood Video; or by visiting www.strictlybackground.com. The United Film Festival will be held in Tulsa July 30-Aug. 1. Visit www.theunitedfest.com/tulsa or www.connellcreations.com for more information.
