Jess Berry is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and actor living in Los Angeles.
Raised on a farm in Indiana, Jess's writing centers on rural American voices, specifically girls and women, and the complicated impact of Midwest culture on self-identity and relationships.
Jess recently won the Audience Choice Award at Academy-Award® Qualifying Indy Shorts, presented by Heartland International Film Festival, for her female-driven short film DAUGHTERS (LA International Shorts, HollyShorts International, Port Townsend Film Festival, Heartland International). Jess also took home Best Actor at the Hoosier Films Annual Festival for her performance in DAUGHTERS, winning the entire festival, including 40+ features and short films. Jess was also a finalist for the AFI DWW+ (Directing Women's Workshop) and Sundance's Episodic Lab with her coming-of-age pilot, LITTLE JESS.
Previously, Jess served as the Vice President of Development at SuperFilms Media, overseeing the working slate of documentary and scripted projects. Before to stepping into development, she co-produced on SuperFilms Media's Emmy® Nominated Hulu Original Documentary CHANGING THE GAME (GLAAD Media Award Winner, OUTFEST Audience Award, Frameline Audience Award, Critics Choice Nominee, 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), which follows three transgender high school athletes for a year in their compelling lives. SuperFilms! is a production company in the heart of Silver Lake, Los Angeles, focusing on timely, authentic, and complex stories across all platforms.
In addition to writing and producing, Jess is also a trained Chicago theater actor whose credits include A FAMILY MAN (TIFF Premiere, Zero Gravity, GBase), WEB OF MAKE BELIEVE (NETFLIX), 9-1-1 (FOX), CHICAGO FIRE (NBC), CHICAGO PD (NBC), and FOR THE PEOPLE (ABC). She is a proud Women In Film member and a select Women In Film Mentorship Program participant. Jess received her BFA at Miami University, Ohio, and is part of the Roadmap Writer's Career Writer Program.