Interview with Jake Myers, Director of 2025’s Kombucha

By: Myriam Akbar

Jake Myers is a filmmaker, animator, and creative director based in Chicago. He’s known for his short films Kombucha!, Emojihead, and Alien Seduction. After its festival run, an expansion of one of his short films was released on streaming services. The plot of this body horror film involves a physically and psychologically transformative beverage, provided by a company for its employees. Kombucha’s world premiere was at DWFLA, where it won the Audience Choice Award. It also won awards at Grimmfest, Vortex, ATL Horror, Samaine, and Chicago Underground. Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Myers about his passion for cinema, how this film came to be, and his personal experiences that influenced it. 

Like many of us cinema lovers, our passion for film stems from childhood. Myers shared that his parents were teachers, athletes, and musicians—so they encouraged him to have eclectic interests. “I played volleyball, sang in an acapella group, and watched as many films at home or at the theater as possible,” he says. He also recalls that in middle school, he was obsessed with Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? He and his friend, Joe Sepka also used to go to the video store and rent the weirdest horror films that they could find. “We would make our own bizarre films with my parent’s camcorder and try to get our friends to laugh or cringe. We never stopped collaborating on things. He actually did half of the score for Kombucha,” Myers says. He has an eclectic taste in terms of genre and enjoys films that blend different ones, making them hard to define but fun to watch. He lists elevated horror, sci-fi action, and lo-fi camp as some of his favorites. 

Screenplay writer Geoff Bakken, was “the original brain behind the concept, says Myers. “I think it grew out of his experiences in a corporate office. I was drawn to the hook of the film, because of the relatability factor regarding the fear of both starting a new job and being replaced in it.” For Myers, his creative process for the first act included drinking lots of kombucha and observing its characteristics. For further inspiration, he used Reddit stories involving the beverage—finding claims of GI issues, skin rashes, and nosebleeds. “I wanted it to feel somewhat grounded in scientific reality and anecdotal experience,” he says. 

Often great filmmakers will tell you that the best stories are ones that we pull from out of ourselves. This is no different for Myers, who explains that his own personal experience with taking ADHD medication helped him make this film. Despite enabling him to get through the work day and accomplish tasks, it had some side effects on his stomach. “I also felt like a shell of the creative person I was before,” he says. “Both Luke (the main character) and I grapple with the slimy version of ourselves that wants to abandon our creative passions, in exchange for financial stability. I think a lot of creative people relate to this existential dilemma,” he says. Myers wanted Mother (the source of infection in the film) to be the physical embodiment of the money machine. In the same way a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) eats sweet tea and ferments it into vinegary kombucha, he wanted Mother to transform creative people into corporate cogs. “I hope Kombucha serves as a reminder that no job is worth dying for and we are more than the value that we create for uncaring corporations,” he says. 

When asked what advice Myers would offer aspiring filmmakers like myself, he says, “Do more in pre-production than you think you need to. If you’re working with finite resources, you don’t have time to troubleshoot major problems on set–so organize everything you think you need to before production starts. Prep yourself for the long haul of thankless work that goes into editing, sound, vfx, and color.” He suggests making visual slideshows for, communicating expectations to, and working collaboratively with every head of department. This ensures that everyone has a shared vision the moment they walk on set. My favorite piece of advice that Myers provides is one that I don’t hear enough and think should be prioritized. He emphasizes the significance of thanking those who go out of their way to improve your film, acknowledging the hard work that goes into turning raw material into cohesive content, and taking initiative to support however you can. 

What’s next for Myers? Initially planning to do a slasher film, he was pushed towards the idea of a Kombucha sequel when his producer said he had a gut feeling it needed to be done. He and Bakken had already tossed around ideas, landing on a concept that gives them the opportunity to invest in the body horror elements and character-driven drama. “Instead of expanding the world like most sequels do, we want to focus on the world and see what happens when a culty holistic treatment center discovers the power of Mother’s Secret Kombucha,” he says. As someone who very much enjoyed Kombucha, I think this idea is brilliant and exciting. I have a good feeling it will not only be executed well, but impress horror fans. 

Creator Highlight: Tyrone Williams of Evol Podcast

By: Myriam Akbar

Meet Tyrone Williams, director and host of the podcast Evol FM. He’s a Sacramento, California native but  currently lives in Philly. He says his passion for creating content began in the middle of the pandemic,  when he was trying to “stay sane as an essential worker.” Two years later in 2024, he started his podcast and has had the opportunity to speak with many people in the field. Evol FM mostly covers fans of the horror genre and other black creatives. His goal is to give people their flowers and have fun, while building community. “The best thing about creating content is sharing my ideas with my peers and the most challenging part is finding the time to schedule everything in a balanced manner,” he says. 

Williams discovered his love for film after watching Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me and the behind the scenes footage, also becoming inspired by filmmaking as a career. As for horror, he highlights Child’s Play 2 as a groundbreaking discovery during childhood. His other favorite genre is, ironically, romantic comedies. He lists Night Of The Demons, The Wedding Singer, and High Tension as some of his favorite films. 

Some high points of success for Williams are getting paid for a few collaborations with Dread Central and speaking at Blerdcon two years in a row. “I have so much fun being on stage,” he says. At the convention, he did a segment called “Black Ass Decisions.” It consisted of having the crowd give comedic choices centered around how surviving a horror film would look like from a Black perspective. 

When asked what his short term goals are, Williams said, “I would love to start hosting events like screenings, horror themed game Nights, and film festivals. I just love being around folks who have seen every Evil Dead film and it's just a normal conversation.” As for long term goals, he wants to make as many connections in the industry as possible and continue to uplift voices that need to be heard. However, one of his most significant dreams is to bring his nightmares to the big screen. “Nothing would make me happier probably. I would love to make possession-horror and romantic-comedy films. They both get to tug at the audience's emotions,” he says. 

Creator Highlight: Janecka Deer-Olen of Scream Queen Podcast

By: Myriam Akbar

Janecka Deer-Olen is a determined and fiery Florida-based content creator, who explores themes of horror both real and imagined. She has a daughter who is the drummer in a local band that is gaining popularity and a husband who owns a small music venue in Orlando. Deer-Olen has been making social media content for 7 months; however, she’s had her podcast for a year. Additionally, she hosts horror trivia events at her husband’s venue. She says the best part of creating content is the community that she gets to form; however, she explains that there are some hardships that come along with it. “I'm still fighting for recognition in a space that is saturated and where my values and the topics I cover are being shadow banned. It makes it hard but I won't stop,” she says. 

Deer-Olen’s passion for visual arts began as a child, having grandparents who shared the same interest. Her grandmother Harriet Deer, was a Professor of English at the University of South Florida. She was known for her work in Popular Culture studies and film, giving lectures on classic films at the Tampa Theatre and USF into her 90's. She and her husband also co-authored four books on The Popular Arts. Deer-Olen says, “I got my passion for film from my grandmother, as we were very close. I just took it in a different direction with horror.” Her favorite categories within the genre are body, psychological, creature features, thrillers, revenge, and slashers. The television shows that introduced her to the genre were Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Tales from the Crypt, and Goosebumps. As for films, she lists Evil Dead 2, Chucky, The Nightmare on Elm Street, Dolls by Suart Gordon, and The Witches. 

Deer-Olen started her podcast a year ago, highlighting the true horrors that inspired the horrors on screen. She has a segment called Indie Horror Highlights and also interviews Indie Horror directors. “I say at the end of each episode: This is a one woman show and I'm doing my very best. Everything is done by me,” she says. Within a year, she has completed 50 episodes and gained quite an Instagram following, with over 11K followers. “It takes a lot of time and patience, but it's worth it to me because I get to create a safe place for people who are being targeted. I get to give a different perspective, which I’m proud of. The horror space is overrun by men and it's rare to see an independent woman podcaster that doesn't have a man helping at all,” she says. 

When asked if she was interested in filmmaking, Deer-Olen said, “Everything I create, read, and write is intended to help me formulate my craft. This knowledge is essential to completing my screenplay and making my first horror short.” She is working on a claymation short about a recurring nightmare she had as a child. Her short-term goals are to gain a big enough following that she is taken seriously as a writer and possible director down the line. Her long-term goal is to make horror movies about issues that are important to her, ones that she feel haven’t been tackled yet with enough significance. “I am going to piss people off and make people uncomfortable with my art. I don't mean to play it safe or appease the masses,” she says.

Creator Highlight: Anaya Davis

By: Myriam Akbar

Meet Anaya Davis—a passionate and charismatic social media content creator, based in Los Angeles. She started making videos on TikTok about television and film in March 2023, becoming known for her character analysis and rankings. Mostly covering horror and drama, Davis has gained a solid following and exciting opportunities. This summer she spoke on the Housewives of Horror panel, at GhoulieCon in Kentucky. 

    “It was exciting to be alongside like-minded people, discussing horror and how important women are to the genre,” she says. “It was scary at first but so much fun. I felt at home once the nerves wore off and hope to do more similar events,” says Davis. 

    When asked to reflect on where her television and film journey began, Davis remembers loving it since she could comprehend it. “I fell in love with being fully immersed in the world that was being built in front of me and it also contributed to my own creativity,” she shares.    As for the horror genre, she became a fan young as well and recalls feeling at home in the chaos of it all. “One of my earliest memories was watching Candyman. I was mesmerized by Tony Todd’s performance. He was so locked in and I was in awe of how just his voice alone could invoke fear,” she says. Some of Davis’ favorite films are slashers like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, as well as I Saw the TV Glow, Age of Adeline, and The Lion King. As for television shows, she highlights Pretty Little Liars, The Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries, and The 100. “I like long shows where I can get invested. I’m such a binge watcher,” she says. 

    Davis’ favorite aspect about making content is being able to “yap,” she says. She considers the harder parts to be the dry spells and getting caught up in her videos not performing well. When asked what her goals were in regard to TikTok, she said, “I would like to get out of my little niche box and bring more of my creativity into my content.” 

    In addition to her love for television and film, Davis is a lover of reading and writing. Recently she completed a slasher novel titled, The Glass Knife and is preparing to send it off to literary agents. “Slasher is a scary little subgenre to jump into because there’s so much planning that takes place when writing a who-dun-it,” she shares. Her previous projects have leaned more into fantasy and while there were hints of horror, this was her first time diving fully into the genre. “My writing style is similar in this one, but the characters and themes are very different,” she says. As someone who overall cherishes storytelling, Davis considers screenwriting somewhere down the line.