EXCLUSIVE: Rising filmmaker Jay Pendarvis Jr. has signed with M88 for representation.Pendarvis is coming off of his participation in the first cohort of The Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp, hosted by filmmaker and fellow M88 client Carlos López Estrada and former head of the Sundance Artist Community, Abiram Brizuela.
The Antigravity Academy Screenwriters Camp is an intensive and highly selective program which picks filmmakers from a wide range of backgrounds to get direct feedback and mentoring from successful entertainment professionals. Upon completion, fellows emerge with a new draft of their screenplay, a first-look deal for production financing from Unapologetic Projects, and Antigravity’s support to bring the projects to market. Pendarvis’s first feature-length project, Brother’s Keeper, was developed during the program and will be produced by Antigravity Academy.
Pendarvis previously helmed 1-15-41, which received the Programmer’s Award for Best Short Documentary at the 2023 Virginia Film Festival. A native of Annandale, Virginia who was a track and field student athlete at the University of Virginia, his work tends to focus on themes of loss, resilience, and the quiet complexities of life.
Founded in 2020 by former WME partner Phillip Sun and Macro founder and CEO Charles D. King, M88 reps storytellers, actors, writers and multi-hyphenates, with an emphasis on diverse talent. Other recent signings include playwright David Henry Hwang, digital creator and actress Yuri Lamasbella, filmmaker Alexandre Moratto and actor Winston Duke, to name just a few.