Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Arky
Hi Jake, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I really do credit my parents for signing me up for a summer theatre camp when I was in a preteen as the origin point of who I am today.
We lived in Salt Lake City and somehow they found out that the University of Utah offered this incredible Youtheatre program with college students and professors from the theatre department as the camp instructors during the summertime. It was there I learned real acting for the first time, got a chance to write a play, and really feel like I was part of a community of artists.
It was also that program that helped get me into New York University’s dramatic writing department at Tisch, which kicked my butt in all the best ways and gave me another network of creative people to lean on for support, ideas, and just pure love of the arts.
Had I not been part of Tisch, I would have never had a chance to connect with several of my closet collaborators to this day, namely Suhashini Krishnan who is now my partner with Tiny Titan Films, and Justin Hudnall, my co-founder at So Say We All, non-profit literary and performing arts organization whose mission is to help people tell their stories, and tell them better, through creating performance opportunities, educational offerings, and accessible media forums.
I’m privileged and lucky enough to have a not only a network of creative folks, but true friends who are passionate, loyal, and game for making the best stories on stage and film. The only reason I get to be an actor/writer/producer with any bit of success behind my name is because my friends have been my collaborators and those who started as collaborators have turned into friends.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road, but every bump along the way has been an opportunity to learn more, to grow, and to reshape. I feel like a late bloomer sometimes in the sense that I did not immediately start out with a career in the arts, but one off to the sidelines. For the first few years out of college I was doing a series of odd jobs with no creative endeavors…or when I was working for a theatre company or production house, I kind of felt relegated to the sidelines.
The biggest challenge was just getting over my own fears and doubts, the kind of stuff that keep you up at night.
I didn’t act for most of my 20’s and it wasn’t until I turned 30 that I felt like I’d written anything worth producing. And in hindsight: I probably didn’t have a good script or story in me at that point. What I needed was life experience — the chance to explore and figure out who I was, which I’m fortunate enough to say that I got, tenfold.
By the time I did jump back into embracing a life of the arts, as well as a career in it, I felt like I was ready and that what I brought to the table was uniquely me. There are still days where I feel like I’ve missed the boat or everyone is ahead of me, but usually I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be on my journey.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actor, writer, and lately, a producer. My background is primarily in education, specifically with a focus on the arts. I’ve spent a lot of my career as a teaching artist and administrator who is working in communities and spaces where everything is brand new, no template. Do we want to stage a play? Let’s write it. Do we want to make a movie? Let’s do it ourselves.
A lot of that drive comes from the on-stage storytelling I’ve been able to do with a variety of groups, but most specifically So Say We All, which I co-founded in 2009. Before So Say We All, I’d never imagined I’d create a company, let alone a non-profit that focused on the writing, producing, and educational aspects of telling true stories on stage.
Other shows like The Moth are great for getting people to come on stage and tell their own personal tales, but what So Say We All does so well is prepare people with a six-week literary bootcamp. You have your cohort which you meet with several times leading up to the show. You have a one-on-one mentor who works with you on not just your text, but your performance as well. And then you get to add multimedia so that it enhances the whole presentation of your story on stage. There’s no judging. There’s no winners or losers. There’s just a community of people who want stories told in the best possible way.
We’ve been doing our flagship show, VAMP, for nearly 16 years and it’s starting to take off in other cities where people have appreciated not only support, but getting to know one another. So Say We All’s aim is not to find the next great solo performer or monologist, but everyday folks seeking out an opportunity to connect. I try to bring that mentality to every play I am in, every set I find myself on, and just about every other project that comes my way. It makes it less about the individual experience and more about the communal goal, not to mention the joy that comes with making something creative.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I hesitate to put anything I do in a box. I definitely do not like the idea of a “brand,” nor would I say I have one. That being said, I think the best way to describe the work I do is summed up in how Tiny Titan’s mission:
“We don’t believe in hierarchies. Film is a collaborative art form, and the setting in which it’s created matters. We strive to curate diverse and fun environments that help bring your vision to life.”
My partner, Suhashini, gets all the credit for coming up with that, as well as committing that principle into practice. Substitute the word “film” for theatre, storytelling, and other aspects of my artistic work and you get the same results.
Do good work. Be open to new perspectives. And most importantly: don’t be a dick.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jakearky.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejarky/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-arky-0a775222/
- Other: https://www.sosayweallonline.com/; https://www.tinytitanproductions.com/
