Jeff Willy

A Renaissance Man in the truest sense, Jeff Willy brings a unique blend of talents in both arts and science to his work in entertainment and as a filmmaker. His professional background combined with an entrepreneurial spirit has allowed him to excel at a variety of roles from acting and producing to medical research. Most recently, Jeff established his own media company, Fourth Wall Entertainment, under which he wrote, produced, directed and acted in several thoughtful and relatable films giving voice to a previously underrepresented population. Almost immediately upon entering the industry, he garnered dozens of accolades for his achievements in short film, screenplay development, production, LGBTQ+ film contributions, acting and more. He is currently working to complete his first full feature film, Reveal, a movie about LGBTQ+ relationships and coming out. The universal themes within the script will appeal to audiences of all ages and orientations with relatable characters and realistic scenarios. Since his high school days, Jeff has always loved music and performance. He takes much pride in having performed at Carnegie Hall multiple times and leading multiple drumlines to state and national championships. Jeff earned a music degree in percussion from the Eastman School of Music and continues to teach high school students in his free time. But when it came time to choose a career path, Jeff took a different route, focusing on science to help others. Unique among many in entertainment, Jeff Willy is a Ph.D. with more than 15 years of experience as a Research Fellow in Toxicology at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in San Diego. He received his doctoral degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) where he continues to hold an adjunct faculty position and serve as graduate student advisor. Jeff spent over a decade working at Eli Lilly & Co. where he ran a lab and played an instrumental role within an International Consortia working with large pharmaceutical companies and academic scientists. Jeff has been recognized for his scientific achievements with several awards, including the 2016 Midwest Chapter of SOT Young Investigator Award, a 2016 MBSS SOT Research Award, 2015 Eli Lilly Innovator Award, 2015 AASLD Basic Science Young Investigator Award, and 2009 John L. Emmerson Award for Scientific Excellence at Eli Lilly. In harmony with the positive impact he's made through science, Jeff hopes he can make an equally positive impact through art. He understands on a deep level how many people struggle with coming out to their families, friends and even co-workers. One of his main objectives with Fourth Wall is to create a medium where members of the LGBTQ+ community can connect and share stories. Jeff Willy was born and raised in in Indiana and currently lives in Southern California. He shares his home with two dogs and loves running and traveling in his free time.