Guest Blogger - @jesimieljenkins - Moving to LA (Part 2)

If you guys may recall, my friend Jesimiel wrote, a couple of weeks back, about why he chose to move to LA in pursuit of his dreams of working as a host in the entertainment industry. Below, my dear friend elaborates one what he's learned in the last six months since he's been there. It's an eye opener and I think for all artists hoping to make it in LA, or any major metropolis (read: NYC, London, Paris, Tokyo, Rio... etc), you can learn a lot from his experiences.

Three things I’ve learned so far:

A career in the entertainment business is EXPENSIVE. 

-You must be willing to make a sizable investment in yourself to be taken seriously

            -This means paying for really great headshots

            -This means enrolling in ongoing acting classes at a good studio

            -This means buying great clothes that make people notice you when you walk into the audition room

Many people in LA want to be successful but few want to work for it.

-Many people want THAT life, that Beverly Hills life, but few will invest in themselves and work for it.

-It’s important to consistently work towards your goals in a sprawling city like LA and do things that you’re passionate about

-You don’t want to end up another embittered and angry artist serving tables and waiting for Steven Spielberg to walk in and notice you- take your career and your life into your own hands

Drugs are very very real

-I had a very sheltered upbringing in the suburbs of Virginia. I knew what drugs were but they were a very distant reality

-In LA, drugs are a close reality

            -Seriously, keep your drink close at bars and don’t go to an “after-party” with someone you don’t know, there will probably be drugs there

None of the families in Wilkerson’s book aspired to grace the big screen, they just wanted higher wages for their families and to live without threat of racial violence.  However, as I near the end of Wilkerson’s book, I am humbly reminded that I stand on the shoulders of giants and that I am not the first to take this journey.  Though my experience dims in comparison to the present and blood-drenched reality my ancestors lived in the south, I take pride in their bravery as they, like I, made the courageous decision to act upon their dreams.       

follow him @jesimieljenkins on Twitter

I'm Acting... in the Houston Shakespeare Festival

So...this past Tuesday I began working, as an actor, in the Houston Shakespeare Festival. I was a perfect mix of excitement and nerves. I've had forays into the professional acting world, but it's my first gig post graduate school school. I was really looking forward to being in the rehearsal room again. It's been awhile, and if you know anything about actors, they thrive in rehearsal... they do not enjoy when they don't have a chance to perform.

Boy is it fun. Although I'm continually working on my writing and producing skills, I am an actor. Being in the room is great. I love that I get to meet so many new talented artists. They make so many strong, wonderful choices. I am constantly observing, listening, and writing down notes...you know to steal for later. HA! I love that I can contribute as well, and so far... I'm on par! I'm looking forward to digging deeper! Thus far, we've only worked on 'As You Like It.' The director, Marc Masterson, who's great to work with (and who also looks a like he could be related to Alan Thicke... it's a compliment), has chosen to set it in New Orleans and the swamp surrounding it. I play Phoebe. a shepherdess. So... ya' girl Nickclette gets to try her hand at that dialect! The role is fun and challenging, so much so that I find myself sweating, a lot. And, given that we are doing this show outdoors, in the heat, in Houston TEXAS, I don't think I'm gonna do much in the way of makeup. 

We've already begun staging it and it's only day three. We haven't gotten to 'Antony & Cleopatra' yet, directed by Leah Gardiner, but I'm excited (and nervous) to begin. We have about three weeks of rehearsal for both shows before tech. It'll be the shortest rehearsal period I've ever had.

In the words of contemporary poet Waka Flaka Flame... "Oh let's do it! Yup!"

Three Things Senator Wendy Davis Taught Me About Life

This past Tuesday, I had the privilege to witness Senator Wendy Davis filibuster an oppressive abortion bill that would ultimately shut-down all but 5 clinics in the state of Texas. I am indeed pro-choice. I think every woman has the right to choose what happens to HER body. The ramifications for the passage of such a bill are quite horrific. The bill would ONLY allow for the procedure to be performed in a handful of cities including Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio. Those cities are within a 3.5/4 hour radius of each other on the west side of the state. It takes more than 15 hours to drive across Texas!!! The bigger picture though, is that these facilities are the go to places for a lot of poor, uninsured women throughout this state and many nearby states as well for things like birth control, breast exams, and health checks.

I am not ashamed to say that it made me quite emotional seeing Sen. Davis literally give her body and her voice for so many that could not. I (re)learned 3 big lessons from her that can be applied to everyday life!


1. PREPARATION is key - 

• Sen. Davis and her democratic senate minority cohort had collected binders upon binders of stories, articles, and research to read from to take up the 13 hour filibuster time block.
• She knew what she was talking about and had retorts ready when she was questioned
• She wore the now infamous pink Mizuno Women’s Wave Rider 16 Running Shoe for the long haul. No heels for this battle

2. It helps to have PEOPLE -

• Frequently, her fellow Democrat Senators would stand around her for support
• Her office, with the help of social media, was able to keep collecting stories that they would then send to her to read ensuring that she had enough material
• Her Democrat fellows would eek the time... essentially running the clock by asking her questions that asserted their beliefs.... and spoke very slowly. LOL

3. In the end, it comes down to YOU - 

• Even though she had some support, it was SHE that had to stand for the entirety of the filibuster, even after there was some dispute as to whether a not a vote on the bill passed.
• SHE had the responsibility of thinking quickly on her feet when questioned by Republican senators.
• SHE spoke from her experiences and from what people would consider a mistake, being a teenage mother. And then she rocked it out at Harvard Law!
• SHE had to stand, she had to exhaust herself, she had to fight. And had it not been for the conviction of her values and what she wanted, she would not have been successful!