Daily Inspiration: Meet Jillian Lee Garner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Lee Garner.

Jillian lee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Los Angeles, with a mom from Burbank, and a dad, from a very small town in Illinois, who is an author. I spent most my life living in the Valley and around the entertainment industry, with a lot of my friends or their parents working in the industry. I always knew I wanted to be a part of it, but didn’t know if I would be performing or take a role more behind the scenes, like producing. My parents put me in community theatre and school plays as a kid, and I was in the choir, but tended to always prefer to play sports with my friends. It wasn’t until I was 16 and in High School where I auditioned for the musical, just hoping to join the ensemble so I could hang out with my boyfriend at the time, and I wound up getting the lead. That led me to audition more, do more high school productions, and finally thought that my best chance of getting into a really good school was probably to audition since my GPA wasn’t as high as I would’ve liked. I auditioned for a bunch of schools in 2016, and finally got accepted into my dream school, the University of Michigan, and started their BFA Acting program. I had an amazing time in school, performed in many plays and student films, and spent my summers interning at The Geffen Playhouse, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and studying Shakespeare at the London Academy of Performing Arts. My plan was to either move home or to New York when I graduated, but 2 months before graduating, covid hit, and I had to move home. Everything was put on pause, just like the rest of the world. I was able to do some commercials and indie films in 2021, but then back-to-back strikes happened, and the industry hasn’t been the same since. I’ve been able to book some jobs, like the Tubi original film, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” which has been a blessing, but I never considered doing a play again until a friend asked if I was free one night in September to come in for a staged reading of a new play called, Fostered, at the Pacific Resident Theatre. I happily agreed, and was introduced to the brilliant writer Chaya Doswell, and the incredibly talented director, Andrew Weyman, and they asked me to join the cast. We started rehearsals in March, opened April 26, and have had 3 extensions so far, and are set to close July 20. It’s the longest run I’ve ever been a part of. The cast is an absolute joy to work with, and being in the theatre again has been extremely and unexpectedly cathartic. (Please come out to the Pacific Resident Theatre July 11-13 or July 18-20 for our last 2 weekends if you haven’t seen the show yet! It’s so hilarious, you’re guaranteed to laugh for 2 hours, and the reviews have been great). Once the show closes, we will see what’s next. That’s the beauty and the anxiety of this industry, it’s ever-changing. Other than the show, I am also the host of a film podcast called The Plank Podcast, produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment. I interview directors, writers, actors and producers of the indie films Anchor Bay distributes, and I co-host it with my friend and filmmaker, Josh Wagner. I also do voice over work, and have been doing most of the voice overs for Kohl’s television and radio ads since November. I also work a remote 9-5 job as an Account Manager for an audio advertising agency. Most importantly though, I am a dog mom to a beautiful 85lbs dog named Dallas, she’s 5. Other than that, I’m an avid traveler, with my favorite cities being London and Cairo, and I enjoy reality TV, with my favorite shows being Real Housewives and Love Island. I am also a new golfer, and have recently started dabbling in magic after going to the largest magic convention in the world in Blackpool England this past February.

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?
I was about 9-10 years old when the 2008 market crashed. It destroyed the publishing industry, putting my family back significantly financially, and that was also the year my parents divorced. My entire academic career, I had to grind to keep scholarships so I could still attend my schools, but I do think that responsibility, on top with going back and forth between homes, made me very independent. I was happy to move across country to go to college because I knew I could be on my own. After getting into college, everything was going to plan until covid hit. Covid ended, and then the writers strike happened, and then the SAG strike happened, so I do wonder where I would be in my career if we hadn’t had lost so much time; if I was still 5 years younger, and the world hadn’t changed so much in so little time. But I believe and trust that everything happens for a reason. I’m very lucky I minored in Management, on top of my Acting degree, so I was able to get a good job that’s given me security. I’m very lucky to be surrounded by the people I have in my life, so all of the struggles have caused butterfly effects that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work about 4 very different jobs right now! The first is the 9-5 job for the Audio Ad Agency, where I help brands put their ads on podcasts, youtube, radio and streaming. I work from home and have had that job for about 4.5 years. I really like it because every client is different and working on different campaigns keeps the creative brain flowing a bit. It’s also nice being home with my dog every day.

The other job is of course, the one that will hopefully be my main job soon is Acting. I am actively auditioning for TV and film, and I am in month 3 of our run for the play, Fostered, at the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice. That has been so much fun, and so fulfilling being back in the theatre. My character, Maggie, is the black sheep in this family comedy, and she is the greatest gift to play every night, so I’m going to miss her when we close. Andy Weyman has also been one of my favorite directors to work with.

I am the host of The Plank Podcast, and we are in Season 2 of the show now. I do research on the guests and co-host.

The 4th job is that I’m currently the voice of most of Kohl’s ads for TV, Radio and Digital, and have been working with them since November of 2024. They’re the best, I love the Kohl’s team, and I’m super grateful they keep bringing me back! It’s a great job, and I would love to do more voice over work in the future.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I know I’m super busy, and spread a bit thin, so it seems like I don’t go out much, but I have amazing friends that make sure I’m balanced. I love going to music festivals, traveling when I can, go to the driving range often, and going out to dinner is one of my favorite past-times.

It is possible to do all of these things and be happy, I just think I wish I got more sleep haha

Follow me on instagram at @jillianleegarner !

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jillianleeagarner.com
• Instagram: jhttps://instagram.com/jillianleegarner

Image Credits
Evan Mulling – the photo with the “Nasty Woman” shirt, that was for character headshots for the play, Fostered.
Brian Parillo – The headshot for my personal photo
Peter Smith – The photo of me wresting the other girl in period clothing is from University of Michigan’s production of Sense and Sensibility, taken by