Next up in our on-going series of video interviews is this little chat we recently had with Jesse Harris, the founder of the world’s largest film festival for young directors and a self-taught professional director, about how you can become a working director without going to film school.

Whether you’re a youngster with a dream of making it in Hollywood or a seasoned veteran in the field, do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with NFFTY; the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. NFFTY is now the largest film festival for young directors and hence the place you’re likely to first see the talented directors of tomorrow. But Jesse Harris didn’t dream up NFFTY out of thin air. After completing his first distributed feature film at just 17 years old, he realized there was a need for a place where young filmmakers could exchange ideas and experiences. Enter the Seattle-based film festival NFFTY.

Hear how Jesse describes his path to first becoming a director (without a film school background), then founding an internationally renowned film festival, and then transitioning back into working as a director in Los Angeles.

Jesse is currently a commercial director at World Famous. Variety named him one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine’s Top 50 Culture Makers.

Check back for more videos with Jesse coming up soon! In the mean time, check out his work here.