LIVING (2026)
“My vision for Living is for it to be an intimate and real portrayal of how unique and debilitating one’s first experience with grief can be. Ultimately, I want my audience to feel as though they are peeking through the blinds of a person’s life, bearing witness to and sharing in the discomforts, relief, pain, and joy of that life.
The inspiration for Living comes from my own first experiences with grief during an already transformative period of my life - adolescence. My current day job as a social worker also exposes me to the stories of youth battling with similar experiences, and I’ve drawn a tremendous amount of inspiration from them and their resilience.”
- Jay Gardener, Writer & Director
All profits made from Living will be donated to The Dinner Party, a nonprofit that supports young adults dealing with grief. The Dinner Party was selected by Jay for its mission, which she feels aligns with the meaning behind Living and the intent of the project.
Living is currently in pre-production and is scheduled to shoot in January of 2026. Jay has put together a team of creatives that are excited to bring this story to life. To support the project, you can follow along on its journey on Instagram and donate to its crowdfunding campaign.
Jay Gardener, Writer/Director - a Drexel University English graduate with a gift for storytelling. Dedicated to creating immersive and intimate worlds for her audience to voyeur into.
Nicholas Pietroniro, Director of Photography - An accomplished cinematographer with over 8 years of experience in the film industry. Based in New York City and northern New Jersey, he has established himself as a versatile and well-rounded professional with a proven track record of delivering outstanding results on feature films, commercials, music videos, and short films.
Kayla Williams, Production Designer - A Drexel University film graduate who thrives on creating sets that look like memories and feel like home. (Check out one of her latest projects here: Ladybug, a Coming of Age Short Film | Indiegogo)
MEET THE CREW
Lucky (2025)
Lucky is a comedic micro-short film written, directed and produced by Jay Gardener. This project was shot in 2019, and the lead actors are Andrew “Gram” Yun and Katelyn Odoms. Gram was a friend of Jay’s and Katelyn’s. He worked with Jay in a Cinema Equipment Room and shared film classes with both Jay and Katelyn during their freshman year. Gram passed away in 2019 and he left a tremendous impact behind. Jay recovered the footage from their shoot, edited the project and released it in Gram’s honor this year.
Additional Credits
Jay has gained on-set experience through serving as a Production Assistant for multiple student films.
Jay also has extensive experience in promotional content creation. All graphics included above were designed by her. She has served in professional content creator roles for Write Now Philly, The Drexel Publishing Group, The Paper Dragon, and The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement.
Jay has displayed remarkable skills as a line-producer for Living. Serving as Writer, Director, and Producer for the film - Jay has been the driving force that recruited all crew members and brought on board in-kind sponsorships such as The Dinner Party. In addition to this, Jay has been responsible for location scouting, fundraising, and budget management for the project.
Gear List
Nikon Z 30
Sony Omnidirectional Lavaliers with compact stereo.
