Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayden Jack
Hi Jayden, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
So, it all started in Brooklyn, New York where i was born and raised. I was in daycare one day when a teacher came into the class and was asking the teacher for which students were the best and which ones she think would be perfect for the Christmas show. At the time i didn’t know what she was asking about but i just knew i wanted to go with her and be apart of something , and my luck came true she chose me to be apart of the show. Come to find out we were dancing for the show, we did about three different numbers. One was African dance, one was a Christmas one, and the other was a partnered dance. This was where my love for dance started and my new found love for African dance started. I did the show and loved every second of it. I got to elementary school and was dancing here and there for the school shows.
In middle school i auditioned for the schools step team and got in. we would go to competitions and won first place multiple times. we even performed at many events and venues such as; the NYU skirball center, we opened for the Universoul circus, Maimonides Park stadium, African American Day parade and many more. We would mostly do hiphop routines and step routines, we then started to dabble in theater and musical theater, we did the wiz where i played the wiz and lion king where i was Simba. this started up my love for acting and being on stage.
Now time for highschool my school would host this show called kwanzaa fest every December and i became the choreographer for the African dance portion. there was two routines for the show a tribal one and a modern one, each routine was 10-12 minutes long and i had to deal with 20-30 dancers all together. I loved this so much because i got to choreograph and dance and bring my visions together with my dance partner at the time. we would stay late in school and even work at each others house to come up with the best dances and placements and everything. Junior year i joined the school musical which was in the heights. I was apart of ensemble and it was soo much fun. this show really solidified my love for theater and being in a show.
This is when i decided to audition for AMDA and go for acting. I auditioned my junior year and got in and was soo excited to start my acting jounery in a performing arts school and get into this feild. In senior year i was lead choreographer for the the show and was going to have a lead role, but covid had other plans so i wasn’t able to do so.
I still ended up starting AMDA in the summer of 2020 so we were completely online doing scenes, stage combat, and dance, over zoom. WOW WHAT A TIME. It was really weird and challenging but still soo muh fun. I graduated from the NY campus in October of 2021 and hoped on a flight right to LA to finish my lat two years and get my bacholors in Acting. In LA I started to figure out my style and sense of self and really grow ino who Jayden is away from family and familiarity.
I was only apart of one show in my 2 years of AMDA LA which was Romeo and Juliet, which i was enssemble for. I had so much fun in this show and even got to choreograph the ball scene.
I graduated in February 2023 and just like that i was done with school forever so now its time to apply and audition for things. This is where i started thinking about modeling so i srarted doing photoshoots and applied to a whole bunch of modeling agencies until i finally signed with BICOASTAL MGMT.
So for the past year and a half of being out of school ive had the privilege of being apart of various projects such as short films, a starface, starry, and bose comercial. I walked a fashion show, worked with small clothing brands, done music videos, and really just getting my name out there and throwing stuff at the wall and see what sticks.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No it has not really been a smooth road, i wouldn’t say it was a horrible rough round but there definitely has been some bumps. id say learning what works on self tapes and how to portray characters. Dealing with rejection which obviously comes with the territory but actually experiencing it first hand is kind of wild. Being told by so many people that i should be a model and i deserve this that and the third, but not getting that same love and attention from the casting directors and stuff that i am putting out. Also growing up in NY and not being able to drive because of the transportation then moving to this car state LA and not being able to go to these certain auditions or events because i dont want to spend an arm and a leg to go and not being paid for it. but all in all i am still moving forward and i know great things are to come (including a car lol)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well obviously i want to be an artist which includes Modeling, acting, dancing. I want to do it all i just love the arts and want to experience things. But i need a survival job, and mine is catering. work for two event catering companies which are DMC, and 200 proof. working in this field is really interesting because 90% of the staff are actors, models, artsts so we are all really in the same boat trying to make it out here in LA doing what we love and working to get to our goal. I get to work all these events with celebrities and high end events and everytime im there i just cant wait to be on the other side getting catered to and networking and being kind and just having fun.
I dont feel like im answering this question properly but if we are talking about my career that i want to go into i specialize in dance acting and modeling. In New York im known for my dancing and in LA im known for my modeling and acting, more known for my face lol. I am proud of all that i accomplisshed while i was here. I am proud of the doors ive walked through, the people ive met, and the connections that ive made. I am proud that even though i seen how hard this industry is including a pandemic and a strike that i didnt get scared or stop that i am still keep going keep submitting myself and keep finding the fun in ll of this chaos thats this industry. What i think sets me apart is my attitude and my smile, i feel as though alot of people here are so stuck up and are not friendly and know how to communicate with others let alone smile. they say that New Yorks are rude and mean but i feel as though we are just real and say it how it is but you can walk down the street in New York and start talking to people and they will tak back, here people will look at you crazy and probaly not acknowledge you. I fel like people here dont know how to talk in real life and i am proud of myself that i can. I fell like a strayed from the question but hey thats how i feel lol.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something that is surprising about me is that i am very into sfx makeup. I started in 2020 during the pandemic where everyone was just picking up new hobbies to fill their time and the one i did was sfx makeup. I really dont know what made me start it but one day i painted my face and i just loved it. i did it almost every day during that summer of 2020 after i got out of classes i would go on instagram and find a look to do and look at the picture and mimic it on my face. the love for sfx makeup grew which also made my love for halloween grow. so no every year i do about 3-5 makeup looks for halloween and ive been getting better and better at it, and now thats my little side side i do for fun. I created a separate instagram page and everything dedicated to it which is called _painstbyjay. so go check it out like and follow so you can see.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1800jayden/
