Jay Cunningham, Screenwriter & Director
I was born in Liverpool, England and grew up in the 1990’s in a busy household with seven boisterous brothers. My life was colourful and challenging at times and this is where the shaping of me began and made me who I am today.
My parents influence started early on in my life and, due to their age gap, I was exposed to an array of culture which established my eclectic tastes…ranging anywhere from Dean Martin to Led Zeppelin.
My love for the cinema and story also began at an incredibly young age. The breakdown of my parent’s marriage forced my mum to work long hours, and this meant we were regularly baby sat by extended family. One of them worked at the cinema and as I was often sneaked in with them, this is where my introduction to film began. This is one of my most vivid memories and I was transported to other worlds during what was a tough period of my life.
My production company, First Word Tree Productions, is named after the first word I spoke as a baby. My mum would push me in my pram down a street in Kirkby, Liverpool and it had a huge tree on it which I used to point at and say ‘Tree’. Every story starts with a word and my story begins with the word Tree.
My film catalogue includes three short films and a feature film, all of which I wrote, directed and produced. My feature film J1S is available on Amazon Prime and has already won awards around the world.
My passions are screenwriting and directing and I attended the Liverpool Screen School at John Moore’s university where I achieved my master’s degree in Screenwriting. I love stories based in Liverpool due to the culture, history and diversity of this magnificent city which will always have my heart.
