JAYCE BARON

When describing his line of work, award-winning director, screenwriter, author and producer Jayce Barson says his projects are the intersection of advocacy and entertainment. In February, his documentary Beyond Ed Buck, which was also co-produced with Pose star Hailie Sahar, premiered on AMC’s streaming platform ALLBLK. Beyond Ed Buck is an inside look at a political donor whose lust for young gay men of color and predatory behavior led to the deaths of some of those young men though crystal meth overdose. The explosive doc placed Baron on a shortlist of directors to watch this year and named Beyond Ed Buck as one of the year’s must see films. Working on the film underscored Baron’s activism for Black and LGBTQ+ communities. As an outspoken survivor of sexual assault, he was invited to the California State Assembly where he helped pass a bill that revoked the limitation on rape in the state. He was also named to an Advisory Board at Yale University’s Psychology Department and is working on a study looking into male sexual trauma. —K.M.