Daily Inspiration: Meet Malcolm McCollum Jr.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malcolm McCollum Jr..

Hi Malcolm, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Born and raised in Fort Myers, FL, growing up I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career. As a kid, I would find myself reciting scenes from movies and television shows word for word. In school, I would write stories since I would finish my classwork early. Off a whim, I took Drama 1, my first acting class during my freshman year of high school. I didn’t like the class because it took me out of my comfort zone and that was new to me. Thanks to my high school drama teacher, Michelle Kuntze, she encouraged me to come back to acting and give it another try by taking Drama 2. Even though I already passed the class, I re-took Drama 1 my junior year to actually try and do the work. After getting accepted into my high school’s Center for the Arts program in Acting my senior year where I performed in Fences and The Emperor’s New Clothes in the same week, I knew from then that I wanted to pursue acting professionally. After high school, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. After graduation, I attended Savannah College of Art & Design and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Performing Arts (Acting). I then moved to Atlanta, GA after graduation and continued my acting career. After three years living in Atlanta, I made the move to Los Angeles, CA as that’s where I really wanted to be to live my dreams. Right as I moved, COVID hits and everything’s shut down. During that time I went back to my first passion, writing, and wrote a few screenplays since then. With a few friends in the entertainment industry, we did a virtual web series. With my experience as a bartender I’ve gained throughout the years, I developed my own mobile bartending business, Dragon J’s Cocktails. Now known as Dragon J’s Experience, it’s a multi-faceted business in providing a phenomenal experience at events. Also, I provide education to not only how to make cocktails, but to also be an adaptable bartender from casual to fine dining restaurants. Another venture I’ve done when it comes to storytelling, I have a podcast on Spotify called, Pour One Up. In the podcast, I discuss topics from childhood trauma, self-discovery, dating,mental health and many more.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been everything but smooth. I will say that the biggest struggle has been having some close loved ones not supporting me. Always hearing, “No.” and, “You should give up acting.” from those who should be the first ones to support me brought self-doubt. I have missed out on opportunities due to me second guessing myself. Then when I think about it, I have come a long way and still making great moves. I value the support system that I do have, but the biggest support that matters in your journey is you. Nothing’s going to come easy, but I must say that I have been enjoying the process along the way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love that not only I’m theatre trained, but also classically trained in it too. With that background, it has helped me with working in film and television. I have a few plays under my belt, but I have some screenplays that I can’t wait for everyone to see on the big screen soon. I have this one screenplay in particular that I wrote…I’ll put it to you like this. Think of it as a mix of Kill Bill, The Boondocks and The Nutty Professor.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
It’s simple really, just do it. Do it scared, post that content, write that script, whatever you’re thinking about doing creatively do it. You have no idea of the possibilities that you could be keeping yourself from by second guessing on an idea. Do it, and do it wholeheartedly.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malcolmlinford?stkn=YXNlOXFtYnNieXZh
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@malcolmlinfordmccollumjr?si=HbcOV9ru_cMoS-0b
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3wPQVVvDIQt448dwwaQILa?si=Vp6Zzm0iRZapyunmrVL73A&utm_source=copy-link

Image Credits
Shea Stephens