Jess Varley

Jess Varley was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, and holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has worked both in front of and behind the camera, developing original series with major networks including ABC and FX. She co-created the horror anthology PHOBIAS (2021) with four filmmaker peers, and produced the movie alongside the Radio Silence Team. The New York Times praised Varley's writing and directing work as standout, highlighting her ability to transform Macy Gray into “the horror movie queen you didn’t know you wanted.” Moviefone also included Jess on their list of top 20 female genre directors. Varley’s solo writing and directing debut THE ASTRONAUT premieres opening night of SXSW. The film, produced by Brad Fuller, stars Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne.