Check Out Justin Chapman’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Chapman.

Hi Justin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in the Altadena/Pasadena area. I’ve been a writer since the 1st grade, and I became a child actor at age eight. I performed in a number of TV shows, commercials, movies, and plays. I was the lead role in “Problem Child 3: Junior in Love” (for which I was nominated Best Young Actor in a Comedy in the 1995 Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards), I played Chuck Norris as a kid in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” I played Trey Parker as a kid in “BASEketball,” I was in “Jingle All the Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” I was the Sunny D kid, and I was in such shows as “Family Matters,” “The Paulie Shore Show,” “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” “Weird Science,” and several others. In 6th grade, contact lenses scratched my right cornea and a rare parasite from tap water infected my eye. To this day, I’m practically blind in my right eye. That slowed my acting career, though I went to LA County High School for the Arts on the Cal State LA campus in the Theatre Department, where I acted in several plays and made countless movies with my friends.

In high school, I got more interested in journalism and politics. After graduating, I started writing for Pasadena Weekly and I successfully ran for a seat on the Altadena Town Council at age 19. I defeated the 57-year-old vice chair of the Council who had been there for ten years with 63% of the vote. On the Council, I founded and chaired its Education Committee and started a community conversation about Altadena seceding from the Pasadena Unified School District because the board was closing high-performing schools in the unincorporated community without their voice. I was re-elected to the Council and then got accepted into UC Berkeley, so I resigned and moved to the Bay Area, where I got my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies and wrote for the Berkeley Political Review.

After graduating, I moved back to Pasadena, where I continued to write for Pasadena Weekly and dozens of other papers, magazines, and news sites. I served on numerous local boards, committees, and commissions, including the West Pasadena Residents’ Association, ACLU Pasadena-Foothills, UN Association Pasadena-Foothills, Men Educating Men About Health, the City of Pasadena’s Northwest Commission, and Pasadena City Councilmember Steve Madison’s Advisory Group, among others.

In 2012, I traveled across eight countries in Africa (from South Africa to Uganda/Rwanda) by bus, train, and boat over the course of three months. Along the way, I narrowly escaped being locked away in a mental institution, visited an impoverished township that was changing its future with the help of an art-based nonprofit, got into a life-threatening car crash, explored the mystical island of Zanzibar, lived with a group of Catholic priests, witnessed a witchcraft healing ceremony, discovered a pygmy opium den, and chased down riveting stories with a local journalist. I wrote a book about my experience, “Saturnalia: Traveling from Cape Town to Kampala in Search of an African Utopia,” which was published by Rare Bird Books in 2015.

I married my wife in 2015 (officiated by the mayor of Pasadena) and went on to work for USC in communications roles, first in the Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership & Policy, then with the Pacific Council on International Policy. During that time, I got my master’s degree in Public Diplomacy from USC. After that, I worked as a writer and editor for Michelson Philanthropies, and I currently serve as the District 6 Field Representative/Council Liaison to Pasadena City Councilmember Steve Madison.

My journalism has won several LA Press Club awards, including 1st place for Travel Reporting. I’m also the writer, host, producer, and editor of the show “Well Read with Justin Chapman,” and the writer, host, and producer of Pasadena Media’s flagship TV news talk show “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman,” previously known as “NewsRap Local with Justin Chapman.”

I’m also a dual U.S.-Irish citizen and take pride in my Irish heritage.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve been very fortunate in terms of opportunities that have been available to me, though I’ve had to work hard to get them and utilize them. You’ve got to keep putting yourself out there. I’ve gone from having a significant amount of money to no money at all, and besides freelancing for various papers, I experienced unemployment for several years after college during the Great Recession, which was a challenging time. I’ve also suffered from depression and anxiety and related issues, things many people experience but which come with their own individual and unique challenges. I’ve worked hard to overcome those obstacles, and it’s never been easy. Career-wise, once I started working professionally, I’ve been fortunate that when one job ends, I’ve always had another job opportunity ready to go. I chock that up to a combination of luck (when opportunity meets preparation) and laying the groundwork over the years with relationship and skill building.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m first and foremost a writer. That includes my journalism, book projects, poetry, travel writing, creative writing, screenwriting, short story writing, and more. I’ve built up a significant body of work over the past 20+ years. My journalism has won several awards from the LA Press Club, including 1st place for Travel Reporting. I host two TV shows on Pasadena Media. “Pasadena Monthly with Justin Chapman” features a review of the month’s top stories and an interview with a special guest, including Congress member Judy Chu (D-27); Congress member Adam Schiff (D-28); Assembly member Chris Holden (D-41); Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo; Pasadena city manager Miguel Márquez; LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; and many others.

I’ve written hundreds of articles for two dozen print and digital publications, including KPCC/LAist, Alta Journal, Huffington Post, LA Weekly, Berkeley Political Review, Pasadena Weekly, Pasadena Now, and many others. You can read all of my journalism at https://linktr.ee/justinchapman.

I’m also known for my childhood acting career (see my credits on my IMDb page at https://www.imdb.me/justinchapman) and for my political career. I was the youngest elected official in LA County when I was elected to the Altadena Town Council at age 19.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I had a great childhood with lots of good memories. Performing in the lead role of “Problem Child 3” was certainly a highlight, as was being nominated Best Young Actor in a Comedy for that role in the Hollywood Reporter’s 1995 Young Star Awards.

I also developed a love for traveling at an early age. My family went to Mexico every year, and in between 8th and 9th grades, I was a Student Ambassador in the People-to-People program, founded by President Eisenhower. In that program, I traveled to Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand and participated in a Conflict Resolution Summit in Colorado and Wyoming. I caught the travel bug and have since traveled to 30 countries. That also instilled in me a love of international relations, diplomacy, and global affairs. I got my master’s degree in Public Diplomacy from USC.

Contact Info:

• Website: justindouglaschapman.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justindchapman/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/justindchapman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JustinChapman15/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/justinchapman