Jake Joshua Wilson

I’m a 24-year-old writer from West Park, Leeds. I live in Tyldesley, Manchester. I was born in the UK but did most of my growing up in Tanzania. We grew up in a city called Mwanza from when I was two and returned to the UK when I was twelve. When I went to an English high school, there were three questions I got more than any others. “Did you live in a mud hut?” “Did you have a pet lion?" “And why are you white?” This is why the movie Mean Girls has always felt more like a biopic to me than a comedy.

I want to write stories like the heroes I look up to. Harold Pinter, Quentin Tarantino, James Baldwin, Fran Lebowitz, Russel T. Davies, Martin McDonagh etc. I want to tell original stories highlighting people and themes audiences can relate to or be surprised by.  My diversity of life experiences makes me curious about people in all their different forms and complexities. It’s a healthy brand of emotional nosiness where I think all the best writing comes from.

To help me better understand the industry I wish to work in, I am looking for employment opportunities within entertainment. I am hardworking, adaptable and ready to learn in whatever capacity is offered to me. Whether assisting people further ahead in their careers than me or helping the production process on set. I am hungry to start working in this incredible industry and willing to do that in any way I can. 

Other than that, I love football, Dylan Moran’s comedy specials and The 1975. I think that’s pretty much me in a nutshell.

I was pursuing an acting career which was halted temporarily in March 2020 due to COVID. After completing Netflix and making enough sourdough bread to feed the 5'000, I started using my time to write. I bought Final Draft with my furlough money and at first, I was…awful. But the more I continued the more I enjoyed the process. Out of this pursuit came my first two professional jobs in the industry.

In 2021, I wrote and produced my first play, He's In A Better Place. It was a dark comedy about three siblings reminiscing about their late father at his wake. As their testimonies conflicted with each other and other family members arrived, the siblings started questioning whether they ever knew their father. I took on the role of director, producer and actor in this show. I organised all of the rehearsal schedules using Microsoft Excel, led all the rehearsals, and coordinated all our marketing for the show. This culminated in us selling out the Salford Arts Theatre and receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the audience.

In 2023, I co-wrote a Sky Arts short film called, The Last Day. Set in mid90s Leeds, it follows two unlikely friends at a crossroads in their friendship as one is about to leave for uni. It also explores the potent societal racism of the time that impacted their friendship and how it affected them. The film was produced with Sky Arts and Studio 12 Leeds. It was broadcast on Sky Arts as part of their Future Perfect season and is available now on Catch Up.

I'm currently in the process of producing the next short film I've written, Delusions of Love. A witty comedy set in the heart of contemporary Manchester about a double date that goes awkwardly wrong for all parties involved.

A LEVELS-Abbey Grange C of E Academy, Leeds

Drama: B          Philosophy and Ethics: B         English Language: C