Jared Ruga

Agnostic, Brainstormer, Business leader, Change agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Designer, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Filmmaker, Finance professional, Foodie, Gay, Idea generator, Producer, Project manager, Single, Startup, Writer/Editor

Jared Ruga is an Emmy Award-winning and GLAAD-nominated producer, writer, director, and “creative suit” who helms Vavani Productions, an ethos-driven media production company he founded in 2017. With two documentaries in distribution (including Sundance premiere QUIET HEROES), three in production, and a slate of scripted and documentary films and series in development, Jared’s goal is to build community by making content that engages and entertains while “sneaking in the vegetables” of prosocial impact. His thematic areas of focus are gender equity, LGBTQ equality, climate justice, and democracy. With an educational background that spans JD, MBA, and MFA degrees from the University of Utah and BBA and dual-BA degrees from the University of San Diego, Jared's network of memberships includes NEXUS Global Impact Society, TED, the Television Academy, and Film Independent Arts Circle. Also deeply involved in the nonprofit sector, Jared has served in various leadership and advisory capacities at the Sundance Institute, Voterise, Equality Utah, Restore Our Humanity, and both of his alma maters, including teaching undergraduate courses. He is a co-founder and board member of the Impact Guild and the Lightspark Foundation, which are actively engaged in organizing and funding civic engagement efforts. Current film projects include documentaries about dancer/choreographer Bill Evans, a novel solution to chronic homelessness in Salt Lake City, and the history of celebrity activism through the lens of the 2024 election; and feature films including a true-story biopic about the only medical team in Utah to treat HIV/AIDS at the height of the crisis, and a coming-of-age romantic comedy about high school guidance counselor in a race against her students to lose her virginity before their prom so she can give them informed advice. Current areas of community and civic engagement center on social impact storytelling; pursuing gender equity and LGBTQ equality; networking the media-for-impact sector (in the Impact Guild); incubating a network of LGBTQ creatives, executives, and professionals in media and entertainment to get more queer and trans content made and distributed (through KaleidoCollective); and strengthening democracy and increasing civic engagement in the United States, particularly through bridging, depolarization, and effective messaging (through the Lightspark Foundation).

Solving problems, proliferating opportunities, and leaving the world a better place than I found it.

Leveraging prosocial media to ignite progress

Branding, Copywriting, Event Production, Film Production, Management, Operations, Problem-solving, Process Design, Public Speaking, Screenwriting

Singing. I win karaoke night every time and everyone’s, like, so shocked. I try not to take offense.