Feb 23, 2022
Artist! The word conjures up all sorts of images. For Jasmine Leyva, “Jas” to her friends, the word artist only begins to describe this multi-talented woman.
Unapologetically an artist, Jas was born in D.C., a city that used to be more appreciative of doctors, lawyers, and politicians.
After she realized Los Angeles would open up opportunities for college and her dream to get into film, Jas relocated to the West Coast. With a Bachelor of Arts in TV, Film and Media and a Master of Fine Arts in screenwriting, Jas’ resume boasts amazing accomplishments including working as an associate producer on the NAACP winning docuseries entitled, Unsung.
From there, Jas was given the opportunity to write and produce on Being, a docuseries highlighting dynamic entertainers in film and music.
Happy to be doing what she loved, but simultaneously unhappy about putting that passion into someone else’s vision, Jas decided to let go of her nine-to-five and come into her own reign of pure artistry.
Her philosophy is, “no limits and no boss except for her own creativity.”
Jas went on to star in commercials and print ads for major brands like Nissan, Sony, Apple, Uber, American Express, Diesel, BlackPeopleMeet, Credit Sesame, Michelle Watches, Elle magazine and more.
Jasmine and Kenny Leyva produced their own feature length documentary, The Invisible Vegan, a film that chronicles Jasmine’s personal experience with Plant-Based eating.
The film also explains how Plant-Based eating is directly linked to African roots and how African-American eating habits have been debased by a chain of oppression stemming from slavery, economics and modern agribusiness.
During our conversation we talked about staying healthy during uncertain times, white veganism, food deserts and why now, more than ever, the time is perfect for people to choose to become vegan.
To learn more about Jasmine Leyva, visit https://jasmineleyva.com/