I’m an independent journalist and artist in NYC who doesn’t like when people write their own bios in third person.

My life’s work has spanned film and documentary, music, photojournalism, consulting and teaching. You can read all about that below.

I’m available for hire across all of those fields and I’d love to hear your ideas. Say hi:

itsjaysunsilver@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/jaysunsilver

FILM

My documentary feature OUR 20S premiered at The 2024 Art of Brooklyn Film Festival has been screened at BRIC, NewFilmmakers Plus and Toronto’s CineForum. It’s a film created from a video diary that I recorded every day of 2020, start to finish, before I knew what that year would become. My short film “The Vanishing Twin” screened at the NewFilmmakers NY fest in March 2020.

JOURNALISM

In August 2025 I launched an independent career after working for more than a decade on the staff of some of the largest news organizations of the U.S.

I’m currently a contributing photographer and videographer for Shutterstock, covering news and entertainment nationwide, and an editorial consultant for The Investigative Post in Buffalo, New York.

I produced a documentary and longform story about Job Corps with my partner, Laura Thompson, for the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism.

I was supervising politics producer for CBS News’ social media team until 2025, producing original videos with correspondents and overseeing national politics coverage. I previously worked at The New York Times as social strategy editor and as a reporter at the New York Daily News, covering politics, breaking news and features.

I've produced digital documentaries, reported from more than 20 states and covered the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. I got my start at my hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News, reporting for a weekly teen writers’ section when I was 14.

MUSIC

My debut solo album NO EXCUSES! came out in February 2025 and is streaming everywhere you get your music. For better karma, you can also buy it on Bandcamp.

I recorded my first EP, TWO IN RICHMOND, at Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia, and released it on New Year’s Eve 2024. My two-person punk band MURKY CIRCUS also has an EP, CIRCUS FIRSTUS, streaming everywhere.

I’ve performed at venues across NYC including Pianos, Bar Freda, Hart Bar, Essex Flowers and Lucky 13 Saloon.

TEACHING AND MENTORING

I taught the Tools of Storytelling multimedia journalism class at Brooklyn College for five semesters. Helping students there made me prouder than all of the other things listed above.

I’ve stayed involved with my alma mater, the University of Rochester, through its student mentorship program, and I was invited to deliver the commencement address for the Anthropology Department’s Class of 2025.