Adjunct Lecturer’s journey to screenwriting and recent Big Apple Film Festival win.
By: Majdulina Hamed | Published December 4, 2025
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The Nicholson School of Communication and Media (NSCM) is celebrating the outstanding achievement of Adjunct Lecturer Jennie Jarvis, whose pilot screenplay The Mannings earned Best Series Comedy at the Big Apple Film Festival (BAFF). The recognition marks another milestone in Jarvis’s multifaceted career as a screenwriter, filmmaker, educator, and mentor.
Jarvis’s passion for filmmaking began early. After earning her BFA from the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts she launched her career in San Francisco, working in casting on large-scale productions such as The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Enough, and Nash Bridges. She later moved to Los Angeles, where she served as a Development Assistant by day while writing and directing short films at night and balancing studio work on projects such as American Idol, Accepted, and The Riches.
Eventually returning to Florida, Jarvis transitioned into film education, teaching screenwriting at universities in Jacksonville before spending fourteen years as a screenwriting professor in Full Sail University’s MFA Film Production program. During that time, she says she also ran the Full Sail Writing Conference. More recently, she has reinvigorated her creative practice, writing and directing multiple Telly Award–winning short films and developing new screenwriting projects.
“One of the best things about screenwriting is that you don’t need any money to do it,” Jarvis says. “Even when budgets are tight, I can always create the ‘movie in my mind.’”
The Mannings is a dark comedy that tackles one of the most difficult subjects, suicide, through heartfelt human connection and humor. The story follows characters wrestling with the desire to end their lives, only to discover that laughter can help rebuild the fragile bonds that make life meaningful.
For Jarvis, she shares the topic is deeply personal.
“Suicide has touched my life many times,” she says. “Life is hard for all of us, but there is hope at the end of even the darkest tunnel. While we are in the dark, I truly believe that laughter is the only way to cope.”
Although BAFF’s Academy Award qualifiers apply to films rather than screenplays, she says winning the festival’s top award in Series Comedy opens doors to emerging writers.
“Winning screenwriters are invited to meet with Hollywood executives after the competition,” Jarvis says. “It’s an incredible networking opportunity that could lead to representation or future career success.”
At NSCM, Jarvis teaches screenwriting and directing with the same passion and industry insight that drives her creative work. She sees her ongoing film career as essential to her role as an educator.
“I can only remain relevant if I’m working on the same craft I teach,” she says. “Storytelling evolves, and to teach effectively, I need to stay in sync with the industry.”
Her students benefit directly from her professional experience, receiving mentorship grounded in real-world practice and current industry expectations.
Jarvis’s guidance for aspiring screenwriters is equal parts practical and profound.
“Find your authentic voice,” Jarvis says. “Don’t write what you think others want. Write what is uniquely you.”
If you or someone you know is in need of emotional support, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.