You’ve made it this far…

In March of 1995 I was born in Lexington, Kentucky. My family roots can still be found in eastern Kentucky. The majority of my childhood upbringing was in small town, Sugar Grove, Ohio (population = ~400) on a picturesque thirteen acre wooded plot found on Paradise Road.

My Dad’s Sony Handycam opened up a world of creativity for me. A favorite pastime was creating videos with friends. I loved movies and found myself wanting to be a part of making them someday.

High school is where I pursued this dream by studying Interactive Media which I continued into college. I was accepted for an internship position in Wilmington, North Carolina, continuing my education with hands-on experience. In Wilmington I found myself working alongside a handful of filmmakers: lens expert, Joe Dunton; director, Erica Dunton, gaffer, John Ferguson; Francine DeCoursey and more. Through these friendships I was able to explore several facets of filmmaking such as BTS Photography, camera operation, G&E and editing.

My time in North Carolina led me to editing two feature films and a handful of shorts. Editing independent films allowed me to see what was needed to cut together a scene. One of these needs, of course, being actors. I would watch the actors working and think, “Well, that’s what I really want to be doing." Acting was a career that I thought was too unrealistic to pursue seriously. However, I knew I had to try, and I knew I could achieve more than I thought possible by applying myself and trusting God.

Within a short time I began classes at Actor’s Arsenal in Wilmington, North Carolina.  

That was it.  I knew I had found my place.

Within six months of classes an opportunity arose to audition for a well known Southeast acting agency. I was accepted at this agency and began auditioning for major casting directors in the Southeast market. As a new actor I felt I had no idea what I was doing at times. However, the auditions kept coming and I continued training and gaining valuable experience.

I commited to and completed a two year Meisner program along with ongoing, weekly classes. Soon, I had built a reel. Theater experience was something I wanted to try to broaden my acting and for the first time I auditioned and was cast in a musical theatre stage play. I found myself hungry to grow and felt a desire to expand to a larger market where I could find more television/film work.

After some thought and prayer I set off on a three week camping trip across the country in my 1997 Ford Ranger with its freshly rebuilt engine (yes, the special skill section of my resume confuses me too). The road trip was an experience in itself, seeing some of the most strange and incredible places on earth.

I am now based in Los Angeles and seeking representation.

Thank you for taking a look at my work and for your consideration.

-JJ