Director Biography

Jared Cliff LaReau is a filmmaker from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, now living and working in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since moving to New Orleans, LaReau has directed and edited a range of projects, including short films, commercials, and music videos, that reflect his interest in storytelling with depth and sincerity. His work often draws from the rhythms of everyday life, focusing on moments of quiet resilience and the unique character of his Southern upbringing.

West of Greatness, his first feature film, continues this approach, blending personal, character-driven narratives with broader social themes. The film explores ambition, friendship, and the complex intersections of poverty, mental health, and race, offering a grounded perspective shaped by his experiences growing up in the South.

Through his work, LaReau seeks to honor overlooked people and places with authenticity and care, crafting stories that resonate emotionally while encouraging reflection.

Director’s Statement

West of Greatness is a personal story rooted in the world I grew up in and the people who shaped me. In Northwest Arkansas, life often felt directionless. We spent our days skateboarding on cracked pavement, rebelling in small, often self-destructive ways, and seeking out trouble to break the monotony. Drugs, cheap beer, violence, and movies became the backdrop to growing up in a struggling industrial town.

Addiction and poverty were a part of daily life where I came from, woven into the fabric of our existence. I was lucky to find a way out, to get clean and sober, but many of the people I grew up with weren’t as fortunate. They are the true inspirations for this film—ordinary people surviving extraordinary challenges with quiet strength and resilience, often relying on small illusions to make it through another day.

In the years since getting sober, storytelling has become an urgent calling for me.

Now living in New Orleans, I’ve found a new sense of home on the Westbank, a diverse and resilient community that reminds me of where I come from. It’s here that West of Greatness takes place—a story about two young men, Terry and Jerome, who are each searching for purpose in a world that offers few opportunities. Bodybuilding, a pursuit that requires complete dedication and self-discipline, becomes their way of finding meaning and self-worth in a difficult environment.

Making this film was a collaborative effort in every sense. We created a real bodybuilding competition, blending actors with real participants, and filmed over the course of a year as they trained, transformed, and prepared for the event. This hybrid approach allowed us to capture unscripted moments that deepened the film’s authenticity, blurring the lines between fiction and reality in ways I never anticipated.

But this project was far from a solo endeavor. It was shaped by an extraordinary team of collaborators who gave everything to bring this story to life. Their dedication and creativity transformed the film into something I could never have achieved alone. This experience has only reinforced my belief that the strength to endure and create lies in the power of community.

West of Greatness is a film for anyone who’s ever had to invent their own reasons to keep going. It’s a tribute to the overlooked fighters who push forward without recognition, and a reminder that true greatness is found not in the spotlight, but in the quiet strength it takes to keep moving forward.