Jess Villanueva

unlatching impossibility | raising @thrddoorstories | @1517fund medici ‘25 & @enter_delta ch ii finalist

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

Recently got my @1517fund Medici grant items from the mail!

I’m diving into how scrappy young people defy the odds with microgrants, residencies, and hacker houses through film and journalism outside school and jobs.

Zero film school. 18 years old. Landed Top 20/1500+ globally in a sprint by @enter_delta with a cracked iPhone SE as second youngest as only filmmaker.

Key purchases:

> Zipper binder + looseleaf paper: 5+ year commitment for my thoughts and a life taking the red pill
> Cable management: the lunchbox-sized case beats a Hollywood production setup
> General ticket to @WebSummit Vancouver 2026: paid my own ticket to get in front of smartest people coming to home city (looking for those in tech, content creation, and entertainment/media)
> @Artlist_io music subscription for a year against copyright
> Colour checker: fixing out of sync colour between shoots when borrowing cameras

Super grateful again to @DStrachman, @William_Blake, @hayleeejohnsonn, and @zeldapoem at @1517fund for taking the first chance on me.

Onwards and upwards!

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@nevedhaa_ @UWaterloo congratulations nevedhaa! proud

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@DStrachman thank you for sharing danielle!!! wish I could’ve been there but hope to pop by next year :)

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@tokifyi woah

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@roohi_kr proud of you!! keep on going indeed

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@NeilMitra_ @UBC CONGRATS NEIL!!!

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

i’ve crashed @WebSummit vancouver since 17. here’s what a crazy two years have looked like:

> year 1: free ticket, chaperone, umbrella. stumbled into the exclusive speaker lounge. got on @CTVVancouver at 17, met @paddycosgrave and @KenSimCity in the room i had zero business being in. showed up anyway.
> year 2: full-ride in paid off with a @1517fund medici grant. walked in alone with a freshly messy zipper binder also brought with grant money. no umbrella. no chaperone.

the moments that felt most alive weren't the conference sessions. they were riding the ferry back from the shipyards with new friends. skytrain confessions. dancing under orange fairy lights.

local names were part of my mental ram. @vancouverdev_. @NovusOrg. @cansbridgefwshp. ubc gatherings and founder events from @buildredthread and loi. remembering someone's name and what they're building turns just a number into a real connection.

i make docs about people who engineer their own opportunities from lived constraints. turns out vancouver has more of them than i initially thought.

serendipity isn't something to wait the "right time" for. it's created.

see you next year ❤️🏔️

p.s. thank you @1517fund and @DStrachman once again for making my second round possible!

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@themoonspeck interested! please reach out to me cher :))

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@tokifyi vancouver’s automated cafe for builders? MAKE IT HAPPEN

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@roohi_kr @bizpodroohi ROOHI THE QUEEN

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

WHO’S THAT GIRL WITH GLASSES DANCING

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@clo_wang @evilsadsick beautiful cover

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

tonight really is a good night

ran into @apldeap from the @bep (black eyed peas) at vancouver :)

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@themoonspeck great first video hehe

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@themoonspeck thank you for hosting this!!

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@roohi_kr ROOHI THE QUEEN OF PERSISTENCE

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@LisaLi_T LISA THE GOATT

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@tokifyi builder!! life shit got in the way for me that day, would love to join the next one🙏

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@pwalshbuilds great to meet you pat! just followed, hyped to see where you go next :)

[Jess Villanueva @jayveesme]

@tokifyi love love