Life & Work with Cameron Jackson of LOS ANGELES

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Jackson.

Hi Cameron, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Cameron Jackson, I am a Black, White, and Native American Actress based in Los Angeles, California. I was born and raised in Northern Virginia with many spirited siblings and four very caring and career supporting parents. They’ve watched my dream to be an actress evolve from when I was just six years old dressing up and creating characters in wigs like “Chrissy” and “Lil’ Derek”, to my first stage production in the seventh grade as a Lead Ape in Tarzan the musical, then becoming my high school’s Theatre President and leading a robust amount of other extracurriculars in sports and theatre. Performing helped me push through a lot of the trials and tribulations I experienced as a teenager by being a space to immerse yourself in your imagination and transform yourself into something new. I had the complete joy of performing in vivacious and wacky musical characters like Ursula, The Cheshire Cat, Betty Rizzo, Donna Sherridan, Mrs. Lovett (to name a few) and each production I was a part of I felt immense growth within myself both as an artist and as a human – being on stage left a mark in my mind and within my body that I was capable of being whoever and whatever I dreamed of being.

In 2021, I left my roots behind and moved out to California to earn a BFA in Screen Acting from my six-year-old self’s dream school, Chapman University, and getting there was no easy feat. To afford the private institution, I had to juggle up to four jobs at a time (Resident Advisor, Office Assistant, Dogsitter, and Waitress) and still took part in as many extracurriculars as I physically could. Within the three years on campus, I was in two of the College of Performing Arts’ MainStage Plays (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Small Mouth Sounds), was the Casting Director of over seven Dodge College Short films, and starred in around 30 Dodge Projects (ranging in Animation, TV Pilots, MFA and Undergrad Thesis films, and Directing Class exercises). Through all of those experiences, I learned to love and embrace my uniqueness rather than fear it, to lean into the chaotic truth of storytelling and to always bring my authenticity, curiosity, and a lending hand to every project I am gratefully a part of. As of 2024 I became the first in my family to graduate from higher education and that is an achievement something I hold very close to my heart.

Since Chapman, I have been building new roots in Los Angeles by finding spaces/communities where I feel supported, encouraged, and inspired by. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed circuiting through different acting classes and learning the different approaches each studio has to offer, have come back to my theatre background and performed as Joanne in Rent in 2024 at Jaxx Theatricals and Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors at the up and coming Nocturne Theatre in 2025. Both shows reminded me just how much I love to get up there and sing my little heart out for and with the people who share this passion for live theatre. Alongside those theatrical productions, I have been cast in over a variety of independent short films, music videos (Artists: Twin Tribes, Julia Rose Green, Cody Ray Lucero), commercial ads (PokémonGo, RevAir, Moira Cosmetics, Factor Meal Kit), as well as broken into the modeling side of the industry (Sprints Running Gear and Wella Hair Company). After a year and half of the self-submitting on everything that spoke to me, learning better audition techniques, navigating how I work best in set environments as a performer, and finding my center through the rejections and reassessments that come with it all – the true “LA Grind” – Sasha Vassell with Untamed Artists LA took an interest in my work and she has been my wonderful manager since this past January. For me, it’s not about getting in any/every room, I’m working toward the characters and scripts that are candid, testing, and evoke introspection, connection, and inspiration within people. The roles I’m currently chomping at the bit to take on are: Rhiannon in the up and coming TV Adaptation of the Fourth Wing book series written by Rebecca Yarros (checkout my self-tape on my instagram @cameronelizabethjackson) and Megara in the live-action Hercules (checkout my singing on TikTok @itscameronjackson).

In my present day-to-day (aside from daydreaming about playing those characters), I spend my time prepping for any auditions or rehearsals that week, wait tables in Sherman Oaks, teach yoga at a North Hollywood studio, nanny, take care of people’s lovely animals, amongst a plethora of mini hobbies in the outdoors that bring me a lot of joy. Somehow my six year-old-self knew that being an Actress in California was my destiny and I am immensely grateful to be fulfilling that dream day in and day out – this is only the beginning and that is such a magical feeling.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up, I always felt “otherly”. I was the only person in my family in the arts (aside from one talented a** Aunt who stopped performing after high school), I was almost always the tallest woman in my classes, my blend of ethnicities was not mirrored in most spaces (theatrical, extracurricular, or educational), and I definitely had a hard time finding a community that I felt safe with – my teenage years were trying but I am so glad I came out of those experiences the way I did. I channeled my thoughts/feelings into watching films and nearby theatre shows, working on my stage characters, or doing other extracurriculars to help alleviate some of that otherly ick and that drive is what got me here to California. When I began college, the “diversity hire” discourse began to circulate and it sent me into an identity spiral all over again. With every gig I wondered whether I was hired because I was talented or because they needed the diversity numbers and when I first started submitting to casting calls, I honestly didn’t even know what roles I could or couldn’t apply for since I was only part of the whole as a Bi-POC woman. Luckily while in my undergrad, I found a handful of others that shared similar experiences we’ve since curated a community based on truth, motivation, and authenticity. All in all, it’s been a hilly road and I am grateful for all the lesson-filled pebbles, rocks, and boulders that have come my way – I am proud of all my “otherly” because of them.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work as an actress is rooted in curiosity, versatility, and a genuine love for storytelling. I’m drawn to characters who challenge me to look at a part of myself, or of the world, that I haven’t explored before. Whether I’m working on a grounded dramatic scene, a completely off-the-wall musical character, a commercial, or an independent film, I approach each project with the same goal: to tell the truth of the character while bringing something distinctly my own to it.

I specialize in character-driven work that allows me to lean into both my comedic and dramatic instincts. I love playing characters with big personalities, complicated inner worlds, and a little bit of weirdness to them. My theatre background has given me a strong foundation in physicality, musicality, and committing fully to a character, while my screen work has taught me the importance of communion, confidence, specificity, and being present enough to let a moment breathe. Having worked across short films, television pilots, animation, music videos, commercials, theatre, and modeling, I’ve developed a breadth of experience that has made me a particularly adaptable performer.

Something I’m especially proud of is my willingness to be a beginner. I don’t expect myself to walk onto every set already knowing everything. I want to learn, ask questions, collaborate with the people around me, and leave every project with a new skill or a deeper understanding of the craft. My experience as a casting director for short films also gave me a perspective that continues to shape my work as an actor. I’ve sat on the other side of the table, watched hundreds of performers make choices, and learned how much can be communicated through a specific, authentic point of view. It made me even more appreciative of the vulnerability that comes with auditioning and reinforced my belief that there isn’t one “right” way to be an actor.

What sets me apart most is probably the combination of my background, my curiosity, and my willingness to fully commit. Rather than trying to smooth my “otherly” qualities out, I try to bring all of them into the room with me. I’m a Black, White, and Native American actress, a theatre kid at heart, a screen actor, a former casting director, an athlete, a yoga teacher, a nanny, a waitress, an animal caretaker, and, frankly, someone who gets way too excited about learning random new things. All of those experiences inform how I see people and how I approach characters.

My art imitates my life, and I am 100% a jack of all trades. I aim to enrich my life with as many skill sets and as much knowledge as possible, and I love when that curiosity becomes useful to my work. Over the years, I’ve gained a new trick with the majority of roles I’ve portrayed: I learned how to use a sewing machine for a character aspiring to be a fashion designer; as a dystopian rebel, I learned a bow staff fight sequence and phrases in the Tibetan language; I performed my own stunts in a horror thesis; I learned basic boxing for an audition; and the skill I am most proud of is teaching myself how to do protective hairstyles and designing specific styles for my roles. I love that acting gives me an excuse to learn things I might never have otherwise encountered.

Outside of acting, that same sense of play follows me into the rest of my life. My monthly activities interchangeably consist of hiking, paddleboarding, yoga, softball/baseball, running, tennis, reading, watercoloring, journaling, AMC A-Listing, eating good food, and watching actors on YouTube talk about their career journeys. I think all of these things keep me open, observant, and excited about the world around me. I don’t want to be an actor who can only do one thing well; I want to be the person a project can throw something unexpected at and hear, “Okay, let’s figure it out.” For me, that willingness to learn, adapt, and wholeheartedly commit is what makes me a better actor — and what makes the work fun.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I’ve come to realize that some of the most valuable relationships I’ve made in this industry have started with something as simple as a conversation. I try to set up a coffee, a walk, a meal, or some kind of activity with someone I’ve connected with on set at least every other week. I don’t approach those relationships with the mindset of “networking” in the traditional sense. I want to know the person behind the résumé, the headshot, or the job title. I try to keep respect, admiration, inspiration, and candidness at the forefront of those conversations because those are the qualities that have made me feel most supported in this industry.

That mindset extends into social media, too. If I see a crew member who needs a hand, I’ll reach out or connect them with someone who might be able to help. If I see an audition that feels right for another actor, I’ll send it their way. I genuinely believe that the industry becomes a little less intimidating when we stop treating every opportunity like a scarce resource and start looking for ways to make room for one another. I’ve been given so much encouragement, knowledge, and opportunity by the people around me, and I want to help feed the community that continues to give so much back to me.
As an actor, I think human-to-human conversations are what ultimately guide and root us in storytelling. You can study technique, perfect an audition, and spend hours preparing a character, but there is something irreplaceable about sitting across from another person and being genuinely curious about who they are. Those conversations make me a better artist because they remind me to stay connected to the world I’m trying to tell stories about.

My biggest piece of advice is to network with the people who seem like they’re planting the same flowers you are. Find the people who are curious, generous, hardworking, and excited about the same kind of growth. You don’t need to meet everyone. You don’t need to force a relationship because someone has a certain title or connection. Find the people whose values and creative energy resonate with yours, nurture those relationships, and show up for them when you can. The beautiful thing is that the strongest professional relationships I’ve built have never really felt like networking — they’ve felt like community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bookcameronjackson.wixsite.com/cameron-jackson
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameronelizabethjackson
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/ncAjbKBWR_k
• Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm13581677/

Image Credits
Zohar Varadi, Chloe Leis, Matthew Wisdom, Matt Masamori, Elizabeth Freeman