The smell was apocalyptic.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonThis is what producing is, really. Holding the shit hose when the director can't anymore.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI walked into the woods to be alone with my thoughts, which was a mistake, because my thoughts were terrible.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonFor as long as I could remember, I'd wanted to be an artist, which is another way of saying I didn't want a 401(k) or health insurance twelve months a year.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI'd always been severely allergic to poison ivy. I was also an idiot.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soon"We're shooting on film," I said, as if this explained everything.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonThe problem was we had no special effects crew and no knowledge of how to work with fire, which in retrospect should have been a sign to not work with fire.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI was standing about six feet from the gas trail when I lit it. This was not far enough.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonWhen I stood up, my legs were as smooth as a baby's and my eyebrows were gone, like they'd been erased by God.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI looked like a mummy who'd developed a severe allergic reaction to being alive.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI learned this the hard way, which is the only way I seemed to learn anything.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonHe just ate his sandwich and watched, like this was dinner theater he'd paid for.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonThe thing about ambition is that it's indistinguishable from stupidity until after the fact. If you succeed, you were ambitious. If you fail, you were an idiot who should have gone to medical school.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soon"Done," Luis said. He looked proud. This was his 'Nam.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soonI know it's saturated, but there is only one Jeff.From Creator · WatchToday marks day 100 living exclusively on red peppers, and I have felt better and better every day.From Creator · WatchBy the year 2100, I anticipate that the majority of humans will have willingly migrated their consciousness into an expansive neural network drawn by the alluring promise of infinity.From Creator · WatchIt is my thesis that the universe itself is a storyteller and that story is a fundamental force driving reality.From Creator · WatchI don't know what's harder at this point, getting music heard or curing cancer.From Creator · WatchThe odds that you are living in base reality are essentially zero.From Creator · WatchThe truth is nothing matters and ultimately I find that gives me great comfort.From Creator · WatchToday we're exploring the beauty of a pork loin.From Creator · WatchI love to touch the meat.From Creator · WatchWhat if I told you you were infinite?From Creator · WatchBut Earth's greatest honor is to host America, a country ruled by eagles and white people.From The Project · WatchOver plates of linguine in an herb-infused butter sauce, the employees discussed a range of work-related topics, including Marge the bookkeeper.From The Project · WatchThe employees drove for what felt like a thousand lifetimes. Along the way, they made observations more profound than they could have ever imagined.From The Project · WatchBill would later describe his experience as sneaking a peek under the short, tight skirt of the universe at its infinite, voluptuous buns.From The Project · WatchEven when they were lost, they realized they were exactly where they needed to be.From The Project · WatchPerhaps it was fate, but Bill and Eric had stumbled upon 34 Make Money Avenue.From The Project · WatchRegretfully, the dog recognized the face of the man that kidnapped him, a face he had enjoyed forgetting in recent weeks.From The Project · WatchHe remembered with disgust the man's obsession with a pungent fluid, one he would all too frequently try to share with him.From The Project · WatchRachel Lee was never seen again. When word of her disappearance reached the Synercon staff, wary employees wondered if she was lost somewhere out there in the Corporaverse.From The Project · WatchThe smell was apocalyptic.From Spielberg Jr · Coming soon

Work by Jon Pivko

EssaySpielberg JrJon Pivko

Spielberg Jr

Essay · 2026

Coming soon

Creator

Short Film · 2025

The Project

Short Film · 2016

Notes

More notes →

A man in a baseball cap wipes the face of an actor in a plaid shirt who is lying back against a brick wall on set.

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Oct 14, 2026

Over the course of the last year I had the pleasure of shooting a new short film, Fotografo, with some great friends and collaborators. As is always the case as a father, business owner and generally neurotic human being, it has been difficult to find the time to finish post, but it is coming along.

📷 by the incomparable @kyledubiel

#fotografo #shortfilm #independentfilm #indiefilm #filmmaking #behindthescenes #bts #onset #nycfilmmakers #35mm #filmisnotdead #directorslife #postproduction

Extreme close-up of a young man’s eyes and forehead with a black laurel on his forehead reading “Winner, The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival 2026.” Text below reads: “CREATOR won best short at MIFF! Kyle rejected my idea of getting a laurel tattoo on his forehead so here’s the next best thing. But wait, there’s more. Swipe right on Kyle.”

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Apr 24, 2026

We won best short at MIFF and have a few more selections and screenings coming up for our humble little exploration!

Close-up film still of a young man with his eyes lowered in warm light, with a white laurel reading “Lower East Side Film Festival, Official Selection 2026.”

Apr 20, 2026

It seems only fitting on 420 to honor Jeff Franklin portrayed by Kyle Dubiel and announce that Creator has the good fortune of a selection to the Lower Eastside Film Festival where it will screen on Friday, May 1st at Village East Cinema. This festival has put together a tremendous lineup so it is an honor to be included. LESFF feels like the perfect home for this story and their “Livin’ The Dream” Shorts block. See their site for screening and ticket times.

Macro shot of reddish-brown ants on dark soil, overlaid with a white laurel reading “Official Selection, New Jersey Film Festival 2026.”

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Apr 10, 2026

Creator, the little short film that I wrote 3 years ago and has officially become a documentary, had a truly wonderful screening at New Jersey Film Festival in February. The college students in attendance resonated with the exploration of digital oblivion and I look forward to getting it in front of more faces soon. I also got to attend the screening with one of my favorite actresses of all-time Domenica Pivko who has been crushing the roll of Mom for decades.