CREATOR’S STATEMENT

Hi. My name is Cory. I’m an advertising writer, a screenwriter, and a musician. 

I’ve accomplished some pretty cool things in my life. 

But for a number of years, I also struggled with crystal meth addiction. I spent a lot of time in ERs, detoxes, rehabs, and psych wards. 

I almost lost it all. Many, many times.

Then, one night, I met someone in a hotel room who saw my struggle and suggested I read the Book of Jonah. I did. I saw myself in the story. And it started me on a creative mission that has saved my life.

My Name Is Jonas is an expression of my personal journey. It seeks to raise awareness of addiction in the queer community, while asking provocative questions about drugs, technology, and modern society’s attitudes towards mental illness and spiritual experiences. 

Drawing inspiration from the Book of Jonah, an ancient Jewish legend about a rebel prophet who saves the world, the short film is a proof of concept for a television series about a young gay boy who grows up to become an addict and the miraculous mission he is sent on to take his life back.  

Telling this story has become my mission.

It’s given me a way to process my own struggle and find meaning in the suffering.

I believe it’s a story that can help all people living with addiction and those who love them. 

-CORY DAVID BORNTICKER, CREATOR