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CHRIS JAI ALEX’S IRONCREW
ACTION FILMMAKING ENTERED THE RING.
Every year, Chris Jai Alex closed out the calendar in epic fashion by creating and hosting IRONCREW—a first-of-its-kind, battle-style action short film competition designed to shine a spotlight on emerging talent, bring the Los Angeles action community together during the holidays, and give everyone a perfectly reasonable excuse to escape their families after three straight days of “quality time.”
Filmmakers, action directors, stunt performers, fight coordinators, previs artists and fearless visual storytellers were invited to bring their absolute best.
A killer fight scene shot for social media? Bring it.
A polished action short? Bring it.
A wild concept or previs sequence that proved what you could do with a camera, a crew and possibly questionable personal judgment? Definitely bring it.
Competitors went head-to-head for the title, the championship belt and the right to call themselves the:
KING OF IRONCREW
But this wasn’t an online popularity contest decided by likes, followers or whose cousin had the most burner accounts. The work was placed in front of respected professionals from the highest levels of film, television, stunts, action design and independent filmmaking.
DIRECTED BY MSAADA NIA
Behind both years of IRONCREW’s live production was Msaada Nia, the accomplished entertainment professional whose credits include Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time and more than a decade of work across film, television, animation, video games and casting.
As the event’s production director for both sold-out years, Msaada helped transform IRONCREW from a film competition into a tightly orchestrated live spectacle—guiding the pacing, performances, presentations, surprise appearances and controlled chaos that made each show feel less like a traditional screening and more like a full-scale entertainment event.
Because when your evening includes filmmakers battling for a championship belt, musical performances, surprise wrestling and an audience-wide psychological showdown, somebody has to keep the train on the tracks.
Msaada was that somebody.
Her leadership, experience and command of the room were essential to establishing the identity of IRONCREW and delivering the live experience audiences returned to see.
JUDGED BY THE PEOPLE WHO CREATE THE ACTION
IRONCREW’s judging panel featured working professionals responsible for creating, directing, coordinating, writing and performing action across some of Hollywood’s most recognizable films and television series.
The judges included Wayne Dalglish, supervising stunt coordinator of Superman; Emmy-nominated action director and second-unit director Philip J. Silvera, known for Marvel’s Daredevil, The Punisher and Deadpool; actor, director and action veteran Ron Yuan of Mulan and Marco Polo; and writer-director Ben Ramsey, whose work includes The Big Hit and Blood and Bone.
The roster also featured action star and filmmaker Amy Johnston of Accident Man; Emmy-winning stunt coordinator and martial arts legend James Lew of Marvel’s Luke Cage; Daniel Stevens, Hugh Jackman’s principal stunt double on Deadpool & Wolverine; martial arts icon Simon Rhee of Best of the Best and Inception; and writer, director and producer Sabrina Lassegue, whose work includes Inauguration Day.
Joining that elite panel was action designer, fight coordinator and stunt professional Jeremy Marinas, whose credits include John Wick: Chapter 4, Ballerina ad The Beekeeper.
Their participation made one thing very clear:
THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BEST
2024 IRON CREW WINNERS Okubo Family “Hidden Forest”
IRONCREW: NOT JUST ANOTHER SCREENING.
It was a respected platform where emerging creators could have their work evaluated by professionals who actually design, direct, coordinate and perform some of the most ambitious action in the entertainment industry.
The filmmakers weren’t receiving notes from spectators.
They were being judged by people who knew exactly how difficult it was to pull off what appeared on that screen.
THE TOP 10 LIVE SHOWDOWN
From all the submissions, the Top 10 were selected to battle it out during a live final showdown in Los Angeles.
Their films were screened before a packed audience and evaluated on storytelling, originality, choreography, filmmaking, technical execution and one essential question:
DID IT HIT?
One filmmaker ultimately walked away with the official IRONCREW Championship Belt, the title of King of IronCrew and the undisputed right to become extremely annoying about it for the rest of the year.
But the belt was only part of the prize.
IRONCREW gave emerging filmmakers the opportunity to place their work directly in front of highly respected industry professionals, connect with the Los Angeles action community and prove what they could accomplish when given a real platform.
2025 IRON CREW WINNER ERIC JACOBUS “Rope-A-Dope”
THE PLOT TWIST...
Because simply screening ten incredible action films apparently wasn’t enough chaos for one evening, Chris packed the live show with surprise entertainment—including musical guests and an impromptu professional wrestling showdown between the definitely-not-legally-familiar:
JOHN WIG VS. NATHAN BOURNE
(played by Jon Allen “Rick and Morty” and Pro Wrestler "Sexy Chino”)
The following year erupted into an all-out interactive battle that drafted the entire audience into the psychologically thrilling—and only mildly suspicious—world of:
THE SQUIB GAMES
No one was safe. Not the filmmakers. Not the judges.
Not even the audience members who thought they had simply purchased tickets, found a comfortable seat and planned to quietly watch some short films.
Everyone became part of the show.
TWO YEARS. TWO SOLD-OUT EVENTS.
For two consecutive years, IRONCREW sold out, bringing together filmmakers, stunt professionals, actors, directors, producers, creators, executives and action fans for a year-end celebration unlike anything else in Los Angeles.
It restored a sense of community during the holidays, gave emerging artists a legitimate platform and allowed established professionals to discover new talent in a room filled with energy, laughter and cinematic violence.
The fun kind.
Part film competition.
Part live action spectacle.
Part industry showcase.
Part professional wrestling event.
Part audience-wide psychological experiment.
Part holiday-family escape plan.
IRONCREW was a proving ground for the next generation of action storytellers—and a reminder that the future of action cinema might be sitting in the audience, standing behind the camera or waiting for the bell to ring.
TEN FINALISTS.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP BELT.
ONLY ONE KING OF IRONCREW.
Actor - Creator Gene Freeman Jr. attends front row!
Photo by: @Talynedelson - She Rocks, Hire Her! (STUNTS)