June 2025 Patreon Update (& Discord link)

How the hell is it already June!?! Seriously, we’re halfway through the year—how did that happen?? I’ve been so busy this past month that when I finally glanced at the calendar a week ago, I was genuinely shocked by the date. That’s what happens when you work for yourself—you completely lose track of time. Wild.

I also just realized... I turn 33 this month. That... is also wild.

First and foremost, thank you. Truly. I know so many of us are feeling financially anxious right now, so your support—for me, for Erin, and for the kitties—means more than I can express. You all seriously kick ass.

I’m going to be a bit honest—May had some really good moments (which I’ll get to), but it was also a rough month for me, mentally and professionally. I’m in a better place now, thankfully, but I hit a bit of a wall for reasons I’ll explain below. But since my neurodivergent brain always prefer lists, lets get to the update haha. 

YOUTUBE VIDEO COMING THIS WEEK

For the first time in a while, I’m actually starting with a YouTube update—because I’ve been working really hard on a video! Literally right after I finish writing this, I’m diving back into editing my Andor Season 2 video.

Many of you probably saw the early script—it’s changed a bit through filming and editing, but the core of it remains. Honestly, it’s been a cathartic one for me. If you’ve read the script, it should be clear that Andor is just the entry point—I’m really using it to talk about things that feel way more urgent and important, like what’s happening in Gaza and trans related stuff in the US.

Lately, I’ve been struggling to write about some of these topics directly. Between everything going on in the world and my own personal burnout (which I’ll talk about in a sec), it’s just been easier to process and express myself through sci-fi. So this Andor video became a way for me to write about hard things in a space that feels safe—where I could reconnect with my voice, my politics, and, honestly, my confidence as a writer.

Given its length, I don’t expect this video to do gangbusters on YouTube (though who knows, fingers crossed) but its a video I’m really really proud of my writing within, and really helped remind me that I am a good writer, that I can write about these things, to find my groove kinda again. So I hope you all enjoy it when it comes out because I really am proud of it. 

LONG AWAY SCREENING

Some good news to kick things off—we finished Long Away! For those who don’t know, Long Away is a trans-centered sci-fi short film directed by my friends and Star Trek writers Susan and Tilly Bridges, and produced by my bestie and Star Trek’s science advisor, Dr. Erin Macdonald. I was the producer, editor, VFX supervisor, and assistant director on it—so, yeah, I had my hands all over this one!

Just last week, we wrapped the final sound mix (at the same studio where we mixed Identiteaze almost exactly a year ago—which is wild…). We’re doing a cast and crew screening this week with friends and family, and then we’re off to submit it to festivals! It’s a really sweet and emotional piece that I’m so proud of, and I can’t wait for you all to see it—hopefully at a festival near you. If not, it’ll be released publicly within the next year or so. I’ll keep you posted as it starts making the rounds!

That said… as proud as I am of this project, it also marked the beginning of some real burnout for me. Not because of Long Away, but because I was trying to juggle that alongside a lot of other heavy things—emotionally, professionally, globally—and it started to catch up with me. And unfortunately, the next update didn’t help much on that front either.

BOOK UPDATE

Last month, I finally shared with you that I’m writing a book—a dream project I’ve been pouring my heart into. I’m keeping the details under wraps for now because I want to give it the public announcement it deserves. But trust me: this book means the world to me.

Late last yearr, a major publisher came to me wanting to publish it. I was thrilled. I dropped everything else to meet their fast turnaround, and I got about halfway through writing a heavily researched draft. Then, last month (literally like a couple days after I FINALLY was allowed to announce that I was working on it here on Patreon lol), I found out that my editor—who had been championing the book and who was himself trans—had been let go during company downsizing. With him gone, they dropped the book.

They gave vague reasons. I don’t want to speculate, but… it hurt a lot. This was, the thing that was mine amid the chaos of the world right now.  This book was something I was really proud and excited about - and I had set pretty much all of my other work aside to be focused one writing it in the fast turnaround they had requested for the book. So despite being about halfway done with the heavily research-intensive book, their dropping it was a really… frankly, a punch in the gut. It devastated me for a bit - because I’ve really just had this simmering feeling of disillusionment in so many things lately, like Hollywood and YouTube and just the world, but I at least had this project that was totally mine that I felt so excited about… IDK, it was really rough. It finally had the burnout due to teh world I’d been feeling catch up to me because I’d be just trying to stay focused on writing the book and feeling like I lost this thing I was so excited about and focused on really just made it all come crashing down. 

But without going into too much detail - it reminded me of why community and friends are great - because I reached out to a few friends and authors who I know and literally EVERY single one worked hard to try to offer help and assistance. And finally, after having to put together a book proposal at the last minute and reaching out to a bunch of people - literally just last week, I signed with a literary agent—someone who believes in the book and wants to help find it a new home. So it’s still happening. It’s not a matter of if—just how and when.

Maybe that’s for the best. I’d rather publish with someone who actually cares about the book than someone who’d toss it aside. I just want to make sure it has the platform it deserves. So… wish me luck. I’ll keep you all in the loop.

SUB/LIMINAL

On a brighter note, production for Sub/Liminal—the Nebula sci-fi anthology series I’m directing an episode of—is happening later this month! I’m flying out to NYC to shoot my episode, and I’m super excited to get back in the director’s chair. The cast was just announced in Variety (!!!), which is surreal in the best way: Check it out here

I can’t say much yet, but I will say the episode feels really timely. I’m ready to bring it to life.

PERSONAL STUFF

In the middle of all this, I got to go home to Buffalo, NY for my sister’s graduation—and I finally got to meet my two-month-old nephew for the first time! Erin and I got to be the gay trans aunties haha. We’re ready for when he has a teenage rebellious streak to be the stereotypical aunts he runs to to escape his parents haha. But seeing my family meant so much. It helped ground me again.

Because I’ve been overwhelmed. Between Long Away, Sub/Liminal, YouTube, and the book (plus, you know, rising fascism), I’ve been running on empty. I’ve just been trying to work through the fear and burnout—but I’m realizing now that wasn’t sustainable.

So after Sub/Liminal wraps, I’m slowing down. I want to focus on the book, yes, but also on smaller, queer-focused YouTube projects. I don’t want to keep pushing just to keep pushing. I want to create through the fear, not collapse under it.

WHAT’S NEXT

Erin is finishing up her final CPA exam this month—and once that’s done, we’re aiming to leave the country. With everything happening—especially the GOP’s efforts to defund trans healthcare—it’s terrifying here. For both Erin and me, as we’ve both had bottom surgery, we need HRT to stay healthy. So… yeah. We’re scared. 

Writing all this out, I still feel like I’m trying to find the narrative thread through everything. But what’s keeping me going is: I have work I care about. I have people I love. And I want to keep using my art and platform to help where I can, even as I figure out what comes next.

I can’t wait to share more of the book with you soon. Despite everything, I really do think it’s the most beautiful writing I’ve ever done. It’s full of hope. And it feels like the story I’ve been trying to write my whole life—not the last one I’ll tell, but the one I had to.

UPCOMING VIDEOS

After Andor video and the big Sex in Star Trek video that I just got back from my editor this week and need to do some work cleaning up, I’ve got some smaller, more poetic and queer-centered videos in the works. I just need to rest a little once Sub/Liminal is done before I move on that. And also to figure out the book. But it’s coming. All of it’s coming.

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I love you all. Thank you for sticking with me through this long (and yes, a little rambly) update. I hope you’re taking care of yourselves. I couldn’t do any of this without you.

❤️ Jessie

DISCORD LINK - https://discord.gg/ecDD6RMm