Jerry S. Gonzalez: Ideas aren’t made. You catch them.

You know when a film title sounds absolutely ridiculous… and then somehow ends up hitting you right in the chest? Yeah. That’s this episode.

Ilse sits down with director Jerry S. Gonzalez, the brain behind The Spaghetti Man, Intergalactic Pizza Boy, and Hamster in My Head—aka films that sound like a joke and then sneak in real human emotion when you’re not looking. They get into where ideas actually come from (hint: not your laptop), why some of the best concepts start off sounding a little dumb, and how to make genre-bending work without losing the heart.

There’s also talk of Robocop as a perfect film, the struggle of waiting for inspiration vs. chasing it, and why being a genuinely kind director might be the real secret weapon on set. Plus: a brief but important detour into astral projection, Sasquatch sightings, and pitching what might be the first-ever girlypop Bigfoot movie.

It’s weird, it’s thoughtful, it’s very “wait… why do I feel seen right now?”

Follow Jerry on IG @jerrysgonz and keep an eye out for Big Spooky House—we’ll be seated.

Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias

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Thank you to our sponsor, Mezcla Media Collective. Please follow them on Instagram @mezclamediacollective and join the community at mezclamediacollective.org