Meet Jonah Weddle

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonah Weddle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonah below.

Jonah, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Over the past 2 years of building my career, I have learned to be effective by trusting the process.

I have become successful by collaborating with other creatives and mentors and having a willingness to learn and adapt to changes in schedules and deadlines.

I have allowed trials and tribulations to be learning opportunities.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hello,

My name is Jonah Weddle. I am a 22-year-old self-taught director and writer based in Austin, Texas.

I am currently in post-production for my first feature film, “Predecessor of Phantoms,” which I wrote, directed, and produced. I have been in production for it since September 2023.

We anticipate releasing our first teaser trailer before the end of December 2025.

I have also recently started pre-production on a new short film titled “The Not So Lone Sharks.”

With 2026 approaching, I plan to have “Predecessor of Phantoms” completed and submitted to film festivals throughout Texas and potentially across the United States. Additionally, I am currently in the early stages of planning the establishment of an official LLC, “Weddle Productions,” for future projects and films.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Over the course of my journey, 3 qualities that been most impactful.

– Confidence
– Resilience
– Leadership

For those who are in the early in their creative career who are looking to best improve these skills, My advice would be to work on having.a goal in whatever you are pursuing. Think truly hard about what you want in life. Hard, deep, thought. Act on it. Know what you want. Knowing is only half the journey. Knowing who you are based on where you’ve been and what you’ve been through should give you the confidence to move forward even when you don’t know what’s around the corner.

Throughout your journey, you’ll find people who underestimate you, that doubt not just you, but your ability to find success. You’ll lose faith in not just people you trusted, but also in yourself. The way that I was able to stay resilient, was to think back to why I started, why I wanted this. The thought of all of it working out in the end.

At some point, sooner or later, in any project you’ll be working on, you’ll have to step up and lead. Decisions will need to be made, and a common goal will need to be established. I’ve found success by being upfront and honest with people, whether it’s good or bad. Sometimes, it’ll be tough and difficult situations or conversations with your peers, especially when it’s obvious that there’s no clear leader. As a film director, I’ve learned this the hard way. When we started shooting our first film, everyone was on their own page. It was very difficult to manage a team as big as ours at first.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Currently, we are in post-production on my first feature film titled “Predecessor of Phantoms”. We are aiming for a festival release in 2026 and the next year in 2027.

I plan to promote the film and collaborate with other filmmakers in Texas and across the country, to simply let folks know that the film is out there and that we plan to go forward with this universe that I am building.

I am looking to partner with many film creatives around the world. Directors, writers, and producers are the folks I would love to collaborate with, to learn and grow with them. You can connect with me on YouTube, Instagram, and my IMDb.

I love many genres of storytelling, like action, fantasy, adventure, Western, crime/Mafia.
My go-to genre that will be my primary focus when discussing the universe of “Predecessor of Phantoms” is science fiction.

I’ve made this film with the thought of it being a “proof of concept” – setting up a much larger universe that spans across 6 films within 2 trilogies. To put it bluntly, the budget that would be required to produce these films would require “Hollywood” easily costing $100 million at least per film.
I understand that it is a very high bar and ambitious goal that I have set for myself, considering that I am just starting out in this industry, but I have learned to trust and enjoy the process.

This universe I am building is what Star Wars was to George Lucas. World builders like George Lucas, and many others in the film industry have been very big inspirations in my career.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jordan Godman
Neil Rutherford
First Poster designed by Saudesign.com

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