The Ocean County What began as a school assignment has evolved into a very human tale of kinship, tenacity, and overcoming adversity.
22-year-old Jenna Walker, a recent Temple University graduate from Seaside Park, never imagined how much her college documentary project would impact people’s lives. However, her concept became something much more potent than any of them had anticipated when she set out to tell the story of Gregory Andrus, a Toms River man well-known for his Facebook page Portraits of the Jersey Shore.
A Walk Along The Jersey Shore: The Documentary, directed by Walker, chronicles Andrus’s heartbreaking journey as he walked the whole length of New Jersey’s coastline, from the tip of Sandy Hook to the coasts of Cape May. The project developed into a partnership based on creativity, faith, and purpose, and it created a lasting connection between the subject and the director.
In my class, we were required to prepare a fictitious documentary on any subject, Walker explained. Gregory was someone I had watched for years, and I grew up on the shore. He was my choice for the task. My professor was so convinced by the idea that she urged me to pursue it as a stand-alone study. That was the start of the real movie.
Walker first met Andrus at a small book signing in Normandy Beach for his book, Portraits of the Jersey Shore, which is titled after his social media profile and is a collection of portraits and true stories. In 2022, his second book, Sand, Sea & Rescue: Lifeguards of the Jersey Shore, was published, honoring 50 lifeguards around the Jersey coast.
Walker changed course after writing letters to Andrus that he never got at his post office box. She messaged Andrus on Instagram and received a response very instantly. As it happens, the timing couldn’t have been more ideal: Andrus was just starting his year-long journey to deal with his own mental health issues. Walker’s documentary and his subsequent book would both be based on that trek. A Walk Along the Jersey Shore, Andrus’ book, is presently being written and will be on the market shortly.
In Harvey Cedars, the first day Andrus had started walking again after suffering a severe back injury, the filmmaker joined him halfway through the route. Andrus remembered that I hadn’t been able to walk for a month due to a recent back injury. A camera team was waiting on the beach that day. I felt compelled to do this.
Sheldon Harvey, a fellow Temple student who grew up on the Jersey Shore and Walker described as a lifelong buddy, accompanied her. They were joined for many of the on-location shots by other students. Walker and Harvey, on the other hand, were the ones that mostly accompanied Andrus on beach after beach, not just recording his voyage but also joining it.
Walker credited Temple University’s equipment resources and her tiny crew for making the movie possible, saying, “Sheldon was a great friend to have with me through this.”
Fundamentally, the documentary is about the human spirit rather than merely the distance traveled or the sights seen. Andrus, who previously talked about his path from homelessness to faith and family in an interview with Jersey Shore Online in 2022, now has over 77,000 followers because to his incredibly intimate tales and pictures of shore life. However, this effort required him to look inward.
Andrus said that it seemed odd to be the subject. However, Jenna put me at ease. She enabled me to access memories and intense feelings that I had never previously disclosed in public. It truly reflected who I am.
The movie conveys a message of optimism and resiliency and is dedicated to Danielle Thompson, the proprietor of the store where Andrus and Walker first met. Andrus claimed that while the idea of a documentary about his life had always existed in his mind, he was unsure of how or when it would materialize.
He claimed that Jenna was a response to prayer.Filmmaker Jenna Walker films Gregory Andrus traveling along the New Jersey coast in a scene from A Walk Along the Jersey Shore. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Faughnan)
Walker did not pre-write all of the shots. While editing hours of footage and delving deeply into Andrus’ social media to incorporate archival content and photographs that gave emotional richness, she allowed the story to develop naturally. The finished product not only depicts the voyage but also the contrast between solitude and connection, story and stillness.
Walker clarified, “There were times when I would edit a scene and feel like it needed something more.” I would thus look through Gregory’s Instagram and Facebook posts and come across one that added something special. I wanted every setting and every beach to have a unique personality.
Walker and Andrus agree that one of the most impactful moments occurred in New Brunswick, where Andrus had been unintentionally shot by police years prior. Before doing the documentary, he had never been back there.
According to Andrus, returning there was extremely difficult yet essential. I said a prayer and created a cross where I was shot. I doubt I will ever forget that moment.
Cape May, the Long Beach Island Foundation, and Asbury Park have all shown the documentary. The Ocean County Library in Toms River will host a screening on August 23rd, which also happens to be Portraits of the Jersey Shore’s tenth anniversary.
Walker, who received his degree this past spring, intends to submit the movie to festivals the following summer and is thinking about doing more work with a related theme.
She added, “I had no idea that I would love documentary filmmaking as much as I do.” I’ve learned a lot from it about myself as well as about narrative.
Andrus has gained a greater understanding of the value of collaboration and increased awareness for his work as a result of the partnership. He said, “She honored my story.” It was made lovely by her.
What message does he want viewers to remember?
“Push through no matter how dark life gets, because the light on the other side is even more beautiful,” Andrus said.
Like the guy at its core, the movie is a silent victory that serves as a reminder that there are many different ways to find recovery and that sometimes the bravest thing to do is to share your experience.
