About Jay

Jay DelaneyWelcome! My name is Jay Delaney, and I’m glad you’re here. Since you’re curious, I’ll tell you a little about myself.  I’ve led a full and engaging 35 years of life, including work in higher education, chambers of commerce, and filmmaking.  My greatest joy has come from two things:

1. Relationships and
2. Creating something out of nothing

Throughout my experiences, I’ve been fortunate to have worked with students, artists, entrepreneurs, and business owners to help them succeed.  I feel a great sense of purpose through the act of creating, helping and inspiring others to unleash their creativity, and telling people’s stories through filmmaking, photography, writing, and web design.  I started this website to accomplish all three – to create, to help and inspire others to be creative, and to tell people’s stories.

I’ve been lucky in life that all of my work experiences have been for causes and organizations I’ve been passionate about where I’ve had to bring my A-game each and every day.  This encompasses a pretty diverse mix of experiences: directing and producing a documentary feature film in Ohio, serving as the President & CEO of a neighborhood chamber of commerce in Chicago, working in career development with college students, working for a nonprofit in Florida serving abused children, serving on a U.S. Congressional campaign in Florida, overseeing 200 volunteers at a film festival in Florida, working as an investigator in Washington D.C. for the public defender’s office, and running an arts commission in Ohio.  I grew up in small town Ohio and have spent most of my adult life in Chicago and Florida, but recently I moved back to Ohio.

A few of my past experiences that have influenced my thinking include:

  • Producing, directing, and editing a feature-length documentary for just the cost of the equipment that was selected to premiere at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival.  “Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie” got distribution through Oscilloscope Pictures (owned by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch) and screened in such places as the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, the Pioneer Theater in New York City, the Wexner Center in Columbus, and numerous film festivals.  The film was featured in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Village Voice, and numerous other media outlets.  You can watch it streaming via Netflix.
  • Serving as the President & CEO of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, a neighborhood business association in Chicago with 200+ members, primarily small businesses.  In that role, I provided one-on-one counseling to local businesses, established new educational programs and marketing initiatives, improved the organization’s financial position, and organized numerous board retreats to bring a more strategic perspective to the organization.
  • Hustling for 6 months in New York City working in the film industry as a production assistant, location scout, and location manager on multiple film and video productions, including a short film directed by Rainn Wilson.  I learned enough in 6 months time to move back to Ohio to make my documentary (see above).
  • Developing numerous websites through the years, most recently ones for the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce and Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie.

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