I’m Jae Gilyard of the Brooklyn Gilyards, a writer and director currently based in Los Angeles.
I’m a storyteller with a deep affinity for worldbuilding. I design cultures, magic systems, currencies, and spaces with intention—because the inner logic of a world determines the emotional weight of every choice made within it.
As a director, I’m drawn to stories that feel inherited—where the past is present and what’s unsaid carries as much power as what’s spoken. My work centers interior Black lives and explores the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and womanhood through genre, folklore, and speculative worlds.
I don’t just write scenes—I build containers that can hold complexity. Visually and emotionally, I’m interested in atmosphere, subtext, and performance—creating immersive worlds where character, culture, and consequence are always in conversation.