Life & Work with Jackie Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Dallas.

Hi Jackie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I always wanted to be an actress but didn’t ever think that it was a career that normal people could pursue growing up. It seemed like such a dream life. I did children’s theater and local plays, but when it came time to grow up and choose a path, I ultimately went in the direction of medicine. Fast forward a lot of years, a few degrees, two residencies and an unsatisfying feeling, I stumbled back into acting in Chicago, where I was working as a pathologist at the time. I accidentally stumbled across an extras casting online and thought “why not” as I submitted for it. That weekend, I found myself working an overnight outdoor background job in the middle of a brutal snowy Chicago winter and although the conditions were pretty miserable, a little spark of passion was reborn. From there, I found opportunities in student films, indies and as time neared the end of my contract at the hospital, I made the decision to not renew it, load up my car with as many belongings as would fit and make the drive to California to pursue acting. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I remember most (if not all) of my colleagues thought I was nuts. I first landed in the San Francisco Bay area where my husband had found a job and from there learned about casting opportunities from other actors I met on set doing more background work (which was all I knew how to find in the beginning). I once again immersed myself into student films, indies and shorts while auditioning for local commercials.

Soon I found a community of like-minded creatives and began building a portfolio of headshots, growing resume and early demo reel while also taking classes and workshops to hone my craft. When I felt ready, I submitted to agencies and was lucky to get signed in the Bay area. LA didn’t feel I was ready yet, but I did manage to find a manager who was willing to work with me. When I felt more confident and sure of myself, I decided that if LA wasn’t willing to give me a chance, I would explore other markets. The Bay area was great for indies and commercials, but very few films and shows cast principal roles from there and I craved more opportunities. I booked a one way ticket to Atlanta, which I heard was a budding market at the time, and spent six weeks there learning about the industry there and making friends and connections. When I submitted for an agent there, I was invited to sign with one based out of New Orleans. I also learned that the Southeast market auditioned almost solely through self-tapes, even back then, and so felt comfortable returning to California. I worked a ton of odd jobs in the meantime, such as bartending, catering, brand ambassador work, dog sitting and even one miserable event as a costumed character at a shopping mall kids meet and greet. After a year of that and only a meager number of auditions later, I was getting a little disheartened and questioning whether I had made the right move to leave my previous career. Then, I booked a small role on a new show with a relatively small budget. It didn’t matter, I was ecstatic. I scraped the last of my funds together to fly myself out there, rent a car and work the one day job and then flew back not knowing what was going to happen next. That show turned out to be Stranger Things. From there, I found a new energy and drive and kept auditioning and working with the blind faith that things would work out. It took a year for me to sign with an LA agent and I spend three years driving 6 hours each way to LA from the Bay area for 15 minute auditions before moving down here and even flew to Atlanta a couple of times for callbacks that didn’t pan out. It took two years for me to book my next role, but slowly, my resume grew and I never looked back. Today, I’m a full-time working actress in LA, with representation in several markets and always excited about new chances to audition.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not… I don’t feel like any road to a goal is straight and smooth. But I do feel that each set of challenges prepares you for the next one and forces you to evaluate if that goal is still one you want to reach. The first hardest decision was the one to actually make one. I had a stable and secure career that I had spent the last 12 years working towards and was deciding to leave it all behind for a chance to “make it” as an actress, a business I knew nothing about, had no formal training in and as an Asian woman nearing 30 in a non-diverse industry that even the target demographic rarely succeeded in. But after months of weighing the pros and cons, I went for it. It was the toughest decision I ever had to make, but as soon as I told my employer my plans to not renew my contract, I felt a flutter of excitement in my gut that told me that I was making the right choice.

The other big struggle was finding the strength and perseverance to remain optimistic and determined. It took years to take the babiest steps, like finding an agent, start getting “Hollywood” level auditions and then finally booking one. I had to take on a ton of part-time jobs to pay bills and student debts, juggle unpaid gigs just to gain credits and footage as well as deal with the ever gnawing seed of doubt that I had made the biggest mistake of my life leaving my previous career. I knew it was going to be hard starting from scratch and that it would take a while, I wasn’t naive to think I’d be a “discovered” success, but after a couple of years of hustling every minute of the day, I did began to wonder if I was wrong for thinking I could carve my way into an acting industry that didn’t seem to care about people that looked like me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently, my list of credits includes a dozen TV credits spanning soaps, primetime and streaming shows. It’s funny that only recently have I begun to build non-indie film credits, but it’s a new division of the industry that I’m excited to dive into. Most of my early indie credits are in the horror genre and I still find that a fun genre to work in, even though I am more often cast in dramas. One of the things I am most proud about are the projects that I directed and produced. I’m not saying that they are the best finished products, by any means, but I learned so much about what goes into making a film and I can say that it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I directed and produced two short films and a feature, as well as a few commercials, even starring in a few of them on top of it, and each one had its own set of unique challenges and lessons. I now focus more solely on acting, but I truly believe the things I learned on the other side of the camera has made me a better actor and I have such a new level of appreciation for directors and producers that manage to finesse putting everything together and keeping it from falling apart.

One thing that I think sets me apart is that I don’t take anything for granted. I think a lot of people say that but secretly expect to succeed based on talent, looks or charisma, but from what I’ve learned on the business side of things, while those things may certainly help, there is no guarantee of success. When I started, I ate a lot of humble pie, taking a step back from a doctorate to dog sitting while my colleagues continued forward in their careers, but I brought the same level of work ethic to acting. I researched everything I could to make myself more knowledgeable about the industry, I took classes to improve my skills and applied the due diligence, time management and ability to function on little sleep during my early years. I took lots of chances and risks, some of which worked out, others which didn’t, but at the end of the day, I can’t say that my efforts haven’t paid off. Even now, I still hustle. I work with other actors as much as I can, whether it’s as a reader or supporting them in their projects, and I still self-submit every chance I get… in fact, many of my credits still come from self submissions and I tell other actors that they are missing out on major opportunities by leaving all of the work to their agents. I recently self-booked a fun role on a Morgan Freeman movie off a casting I found on Actors Access.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My advice to other aspiring actors is to set milestones for yourself on your journey towards success and manage your expectations. Very few people get “discovered” overnight and each step can take years. I meet so many people who arrive to LA with little or no experience and say, “I’ll give myself a year or two” and the honest truth is, it can take that long just to acclimate to the industry here. My second big piece of advice is to learn as much as you can about the business of the entertainment industry and how you fit into that big picture. So many actors get so focused on honing just their ‘craft’ that they forget to network or learn how to present themselves in a way that they’ll get seen. It doesn’t matter how great of an actor you are if you never get the chance to audition. And learning how to package your portfolio and market yourself as a professional actor is how you can maximize your chances of getting signed by an agent who will get you the auditions you need to elevate your career to the next level.

Pricing:

• Scene coaching – $25/30 min
• Scene coaching – $45/60 min
• Actor business consulting – $100/90 min

Contact Info:

• Email: jackiedallas123@gmail.com
• Website: www.jackiedallas.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jaxdallas
• Facebook: facebook.com/jackiedallasactress
• Twitter: twitter.com/jaxdallas
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/JackieDallas
• Other: imdb.me/jackiedallas

Image Credits
Albert L Ortega Don Chin Bill Ostroff