Jerry Bell, Jr. : Oral History Interview

This interview is with Jerry Bell, Jr., actor, producer, award-winning film director, and owner of JBJr Productions. In this interview, Jerry discusses how he got into acting compared to his former career as an engineer, and later pursued his own creative work. He explains how this passion led him to be a director, and later talks about making the documentary “Red White and Black,” a film highlighting the challenges and organic stories of minority winemakers. Perhaps what makes Jerry’s work so inspiring is the unique lens displayed in his work; he states that initiatives like the documentary he created are steps toward gaining the equality and exposure that minorities deserve. “People relate to realness,” he states, as he describes learning more about the wine industry and the impact it can have on people and culture. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on August 1, 2018.