Jett Garrison

Jett Garrison
Garrison in 2020
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA, MA, MFA)
Occupations
  • Writer
  • director
  • producer
Years active2002–present

Jett Garrison is an American transgender writer, director, and producer. He is known for directing on the Amazon Prime Video sitcom Clean Slate (2025), produced by Norman Lear, and for his work as a writer and producer on the Amazon Prime Video series Gen V (2023–2025). His short film Checkout (2006) won a Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award (Emmy), and his short film Jo FM (2005) received a Student Academy Award nomination. (OSCAR)

Early life and education

Garrison grew up in Austin, Texas. After being discharged from the United States Air Force for being queer, he returned to Austin, where he worked as a commercial radio and music DJ/VJ at several stations including KVRX, 101X, KGSR, and The Austin Music Network.[1]

He later enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, a Master of Arts in Media Studies with a focus in gender and sexuality, and a Master of Fine Arts in Film Directing.[1]

Career

Early film work (2004–2009)

Garrison began his filmmaking career directing short films while at the University of Texas at Austin. His 2004 short Standing Up, a narrative/experimental film about a young queer punk befriended by an eccentric older woman at a surreal Texas bus stop, won the Special Jury Award at the Bologna International Women's Film Festival and was broadcast on LOGO TV.[1]

His 2005 short Jo FM, a suspense-drama about an obsessed fan who kidnaps a radio DJ, received a Student Academy Award nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[1] The film was broadcast on LOGO TV and distributed internationally through CFMDC (Canada) and BILKDRAFT (Germany).

His 2006 short Checkout, a comedy about a man and woman competing for the affection of the same woman at a grocery store, won an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences award (Emmy)[2] and the Members' Choice Award from PlanetOut.[1] It was distributed internationally through CFMDC (Canada) and BILKDRAFT (Germany).

Garrison also directed Prizewhores (2002), a feature documentary about a radio subculture, which premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and was broadcast on KLRU television in Austin, Texas.[3][4][5]

Film Independent and industry recognition (2009–2018)

After relocating to Los Angeles, Garrison was selected for Film Independent's Project Involve directing program (2009), a fellowship supporting emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities.[6] His work through the program was sponsored by NBCUniversal and was featured in Vanity Fair.[7] He was subsequently invited to participate in Sony's Diverse Directors Program and Ryan Murphy's Half Initiative Directing Program.[8]

These Thems and digital series work (2019)

In 2019, Garrison directed Season 1 of These Thems, a seven-episode comedic digital series following the lives of four queer friends in New York City, created by and starring Gretchen Wylder. The series was noted by GLAAD as one of the "Top Trans Creatives and Stories to Watch in 2019."[9] It screened at multiple film festivals including Toronto's Inside Out, Atlanta's Out on Film, and Los Angeles' Outfest, and was distributed on Open Television (OTV).[9]

Garrison won the Best Director Award at the Chicago Pride Film Festival for the series, which also received a Best Series Jury Award at the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (NCGLFF) and a Best Comedy award.[9]

In the same year, Garrison directed the pilot for Polygonerz, a digital series for Amazon Prime Video about married game developers who create a game designed to help players find their soulmate.[10]

Writing career (2021–present)

Garrison is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.[11] He served as Consulting Producer on Season 1 and Executive Story Editor on Season 2 of Gen V (2023–2024), the Amazon Prime Video spin-off of The Boys, working as an on-set writer/producer. Actor Derek Luh, who appeared in the series, has cited Garrison as instrumental to his portrayal of bigender character Jordan Li.[12] Showrunner Michele Fazekas has also spoken about Garrison's contributions to trans representation on the show.[13]

Garrison also staffed on The CW's reboot of The 4400 (2021–2022), again serving as an on-set writer/producer.[14][15]

His original feature screenplay Quick Quick Slow was selected for the 2022 GLAAD List, a partnership between GLAAD and The Black List recognizing the best unproduced LGBTQ-inclusive screenplays of the year.[16][17] The script was also a finalist in Outfest's Screenwriting Lab.

Clean Slate (2025)

Garrison directed Episodes 5 of Clean Slate, an eight-episode half-hour sitcom that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on February 6, 2025. The series was co-created by and starred Laverne Cox and George Wallace, and was executive produced by Norman Lear via his Act III Productions. It was one of the last series produced by Lear before his death in 2023. The series received an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[18]

Filmography

As director

YearTitleFormatNotes
2002PrizewhoresDocumentary featurePremiered at SXSW; broadcast on KLRU
2004Standing UpShort filmSpecial Jury Award, Bologna International Women's Film Festival
2005Jo FMShort filmStudent Academy Award nomination
2006CheckoutShort filmCollege Television Award (Emmy) winner
2007The TicketShort film
2007Vital SignsShort filmAudience Favorite, McAllen Film & Arts Festival
2008The Funeral SingerShort filmPremiered at SXSW and Austin Film Festival
2009Three MinutesShort filmSponsored by Banana Republic, Vanity Fair, NBCUniversal
2019These Thems (Season 1)Digital seriesBest Director, Chicago Pride Film Festival
2019Polygonerz (pilot)Digital seriesAmazon Prime Video
2022The Golden BoysShort film
2022Agents of ChangeShort film
2025Clean Slate (eps. 5)TelevisionAmazon Prime Video; EP: Norman Lear

As writer/producer

YearTitleRoleNetwork
2021–2022The 4400Staff writer / on-set writer-producerThe CW
2023–2024Gen VConsulting Producer (S1); Executive Story Editor (S2)Amazon Prime Video

Awards and recognition

YearAwardWorkResult
2004Special Jury Award — Bologna International Women's Film FestivalStanding UpWon
2005Student Academy Award nominationJo FMNominated
2006Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation (Emmy)CheckoutWon
2006Members' Choice Award — PlanetOutCheckoutWon
2007Audience Favorite — McAllen Film & Arts FestivalVital SignsWon
2019Best Director — Chicago Pride Film FestivalThese ThemsWon
2019Best Series (Jury Award) — NCGLFFThese ThemsWon
2022GLAAD List / The Black ListQuick Quick Slow (screenplay)Selected

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jett Garrison biography. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1760765/bio/
  2. ↑ Checkout. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Television Awards, 2007. https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0001139/2007/1/
  3. ↑ "PrizeWhores." Variety, April 2002. https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/prizewhores-1200548723/
  4. ↑ "For the Love of Crap: PrizeWhores Explores Radio Subculture." Austin Chronicle, October 19, 2001. https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2001-10-19/83395/
  5. ↑ PrizeWhores film listing. Austin Chronicle, October 19, 2001. https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2001-10-19/141460/
  6. ↑ Jett Garrison profile. Film Independent. https://www.filmindependent.org/talent/jett-garrison/
  7. ↑ Jett Garrison speaker profile. SXSW. https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/speakers/2198261
  8. ↑ Jett Garrison mentee profile. Half Initiative. https://www.halfinitiative.com/mentees
  9. 1 2 3 "New web series 'These Thems' explores the queer spectrum through comedy." Washington Blade, February 26, 2020. https://www.washingtonblade.com/2020/02/21/new-web-series-these-thems-explores-the-queer-spectrum-through-comedy/
  10. ↑ Polygonerz pilot. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8390332/
  11. ↑ "Paradigm Talent Agency Hires, Promotes." Deadline Hollywood, March 2023. https://deadline.com/2023/03/paradigm-talent-agency-hires-one-ups-two-to-agents-1235300904/
  12. ↑ Derek Luh interview. The Hollywood Reporter, September 2024. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/gen-v-star-derek-luh-jordan-season-2-interview-1236386003/
  13. ↑ Michele Fazekas interview. The Hollywood Reporter, September 2024. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/gen-v-season-2-the-boys-season-4-recap-1236372794/
  14. ↑ 4400 full cast and crew. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9319770/fullcredits/
  15. ↑ "Harlem's Renaissance Man." 4400. CBS Detroit, November 16, 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/harlems-renaissance-man-4400/
  16. ↑ "The GLAAD List: Best Unproduced LGBTQ Screenplays of 2022 Unveiled." Variety, 2022. https://variety.com/2022/film/news/glaad-black-list-2022-screenplays-margot-robbie-1235236322/
  17. ↑ "GLAAD & The Black List Unveil 2022 GLAAD List Of Best Unproduced LGBTQ-Inclusive Scripts." Deadline Hollywood, April 2022. https://deadline.com/2022/04/glaad-the-black-list-unveil-2022-glaad-list-of-best-lgbtq-inclusive-scripts-1235006676/
  18. ↑ Clean Slate: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/clean_slate/s01
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