Learn more about Jason at  

Jason's Photography:

Click a thumbnail
for full size images

"That's Entertainment" 

"Leaving Home"

"ghost in the machine"

"grafitti"

"stalking"

Jason is an award winning New York based screenwriter, author, and playwright. (and an artist and designer on the side to pay the rent) His one act "Roulette Night" recently won the critic's choice award at the 2005 Samuel French One Act Competition, his one act "Love in the Time of Atkins" was a semi-finalist, and, last year, his one act "Telling the Leaves" was a finalist. His short story, "Accidental Antichrist" was a finalist of the Santa Fe Writers Project, and his screenplay, "Resurrection Men" was a winner of the AIVF Screenwriters Mentorship program.

Jason's work has been called "Deliciously funny and revolting..."  In his non-existent free time, Jason publishes the lit and art webzine, TenThousandMonkeys.com

Behind Ten Thousand Monkeys

Take a million monkeys, put 'em at a million typewriters, give 'em a million years, and supposedly you end up with "War and Peace", or "Hamlet", or some such ... 

We wanted a million, but could only get licenses and collars for ten thousand, so if you're willing to sacrifice Shakespeare for Jackie Collins ... read on.

We've gathered together as many monkeys as we could find ... put 'em at as many computers as we could find  and set 'em to work. This is their collected work to date. So far so good. Maybe someday we'll put something together even that Tolstoy guy would like ... ya think?

if you have a little monkey at home wasting its time doing nothing, let us know. We'll tell you how to put 'em to work for the greater good!

From what I have read, you are an author, playwright, artist, screenwriter, designer and poet.  How does photography fit into your creative life?  Is there a common thread that runs through these creative roles?

I think the thread that ties together all that I do is story telling. From when I was a little nerdy kid playing D&D (wow, should I admit that?) and writing the worst derivative science fiction ever all the way up to my current work including photography, I have been driven by my infatuation with creating stories.   I love creating the sense of a narrative, or the world in which a narrative would take place, through groups of images. I'm never exactly sure what the story is that I'm documenting. Sometimes it comes out pretty sinister, sometimes melancholy, sometimes goofy, I'm never actually sure until I start taking the pictures. I'm sure it has a lot to do with whatever mood I happen to be in when I set out to take some shots. 

You started out in the written arts, what inspired you to begin taking photos? 

In attempt to help my friends try to reclaim their creative life from the greedy claws of their day jobs, I launched Ten Thousand Monkeys (http://www.tenthousandmonkeys.com/) an art and lit webzine.  While I had committed to doing a new issue every two weeks, in the beginning I did not have enough content to fill up each issue. The artificial deadlines and schedules worked magic for me. I'd wake up on a Saturday, wander out into San Francisco, and later Manhattan, with the goal of coming up with some art for the next issue. That was five years ago, and I have been doing it ever since.  

Do you take digital photos, or stick with your Lomo? 

I use both. “Graffiti” and  “Leaving Home” were both shot in digital when I was in San Francisco. “That’s Entertainment” and “Ghost in the Machine” were taken with Lomo.  One thing I love about the Lomo is the shutter stays open until is has enough light. Amazing what the world looks like when you stretch out perception.  

Thank you Jason for the interview and for your photographic contributions to Mannequin Envy, it has been great working with you! Best of luck with Ten Thousand Monkeys and with your future artistic endeavors.

 Interview by Jennifer VanBuren 2006