Jewell Karinen

Acting

Jewell Karinen

Jewell Karinen is a director whose work fuses high-concept whimsy with bittersweet comedy. She recently completed her new short film "What Happens in Vegas," supported by the inaugural Silver Lake Shorts Fellowship grant. Jewell was a participant in the 2025 Women in Media Activate Impact Initiative program for emerging filmmakers, and the 2019 WhoHaha Spring Creators Lab. Prior work includes micro-shorts "Earthlings" and "Ghostfriend," and surreal short film “10-10” co-directed with Belle Adams. Jewell's work often hooks the audience with surreal, fantastical aesthetics, then sticks the landing with unexpectedly grounded emotional narratives. TTRPG fans might recognize Jewell from her time hosting Tabletop News, or as Ecstasy in "The Party," an ensemble comedy web series about a group of D&D friends that GamingTrend called a "refreshing blend of comedy and psychology."

Acting credits

Buy Roses for Me: The Prologue poster
NR

An idealistic art curator and her chain-smoking partner-in-crime launch a plan to recruit artists into their collective.

Buy Roses for Me: The Prologue

2019

Talia and Vee Go to Brunch poster
10.0

Two women become increasingly desperate to capture photos of their perfect brunch. In the end, it's not their followers who will consume their "content."

Talia and Vee Go to Brunch

What Happens in Vegas poster
NR

Angel and Sisterfriend are outsiders living in stark contrast with their idyllic, monotonous suburb. Dressed in black and protected by goth aesthetics on the outside, Angel and Sisterfriend are soft on the inside. They're barely adults, still learning how to express themselves. They find refuge and safety in their sisterfriendship. When Angel secretly becomes obsessed with finding out "what happens in Vegas," she tries everything. Praying to God. A seance. But nothing can answer the question at hand. While Angel wonders if there is life beyond the subdivision, Sisterfriend must grapple with the thought of losing her friend to the big city.

What Happens in Vegas

2026

No artwork available
NR

After three months of careful preparation, it's finally the night to carry out their mission. Marcy and Odi ready themselves to attend the 18th century ball of an overtly rich prison owner. If riding the high stakes of disabling his plans were not enough, their unprofessional feelings for each other start to unveil at the non-promise of tomorrow. Through the course of their last conversations before the ball, they also reveal their self appointed missions that showcase opposite values. What happens when longing comes up against morals?

Spies in Corsets

2025

Sex and Assassins poster
NR

Stressed out screenwriter Jonah Rider wrestles with his crazy muse, his sleazy agent, and two motivated actresses about his next script "Sex and Assassins", but is having second thoughts on getting it into production.

Sex and Assassins

2017

Behind the camera