The following Career Dispatch essay was written by Armani Jackson, who has starred in “Ready Player One,” “The Last Witch Hunter,” and more. You can see him currently starring opposite Nasim Pedrad on the TBS comedy “Chad.”
When I was younger I was extremely shy. I wouldn’t look anyone in the eye and suffered from horrible panic attacks. But when I was about 6 years old I started going out for auditions. This only came about after a lot of convincing and encouragement from my mom and sister. My sister had always been into acting; it was when I was running lines with her that my mom noticed I had a natural talent for acting as well. After bribing me with a Webkinz, I finally met with my sister’s manager, and things took off from there.
When I started auditioning and eventually booking roles, my shyness and social anxiety started to become less and less apparent. When I would visit my hometown in Wisconsin, my family and friends would notice it, too. They could see that I was becoming more confident in myself.
Nasim Pedrad Finally Has Her Dream Role on ‘Chad’—All She Had to Do Was Write it Acting was the launching pad for building my self-esteem, which then developed into my love of horror, sci-fi, and thrillers. So, as you can imagine, when I booked my first major role in the horror film “Cooties,” acting alongside Elijah Wood, I was beyond excited. I was also fascinated by the idea of being able to see firsthand how a horror movie was made; watching the special effects make-up artists do their magic, watching the set decorator place severed heads on the ground. It was a dream come true.
To this day, I still love anything horror or thriller related, which is why I am currently writing scripts and have started a production company with my family. Our aim is for young creatives to have access to resources and share their creativity when they may not otherwise have the opportunity. Unfortunately, I don’t think there are enough young creatives in writers’ rooms or on the production side of things.
I’ve learned a lot of valuable, lifelong lessons being in this industry. The one that’s stood out the most is what I learned last year during the pandemic; specifically, finding creativity during moments of uncertainty. When everything shut down, I didn’t know when I would book let alone audition for another role again. It was a difficult time. But instead of completely losing my love for creativity I leaned into my writing and started making music. Fast forward 10 months and I am now releasing new singles monthly and working with one of the world’s most credible and respected producers.
I share my story, my journey, to encourage others to keep flowing with what your talent is. If an obstacle tries to obstruct your creativity, find a new path. I learned that my creativity is mine, and mine alone. After taking creative control with my music, it transformed the way I showed up to auditions. It takes time, lessons learned, and self-awareness, but the most important takeaway is to find what makes you, and not let anything water it down.
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