Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Olivia Howell.
Hi Jordan Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As a kid, I was always writing stories and stealing the family video camera. There is an insane amount of footage of fake music videos I directed my cousins in when I was around 10. I also had a love of dance and theatre which lead me to study theatre performance in undergrad. My interest in directing was really nourished during those years in school and I’m so thankful for my professors who nudged me to follow my instinct to direct and write once I graduated.
I spent 5 years in Atlanta where I got to spend time on bigger budget sets for film/tv as crew, that was basically a crash course film school, and taught me all the lingo and love of the set environment. I moved to LA a few years back and wrote/directed some short films, all those years as crew came in handy for that. During Covid and the strikes, I really dove back into my love of writing prose/poetry and photography.
I’m still pretty much the same 10 year old running around with a camera looking for the light. I feel like most of my creative outlets weave together and I have found so many kind people and welcoming places in LA to water them and allow them grow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Something I’ve struggled with is having a more observant/introverted personality in such a noisy industry. In the film/tv world or theatre you are bombarded with this messaging of you must walk in a room and be big and bold and loud to be remembered or taken seriously. I used to think I needed to try and be this every time I walked into an audition or meeting, but, as I’ve aged, I’ve become more cognizant that you don’t need to shape-shift into a firework when entering a creative work space. There is a power in allowing yourself to walk in a room with gentleness and still fill the space with your presence and talent. I’m so thankful I had my 20s to explore that and am working on entering my 30’s showing up as my genuine self in every room.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I recently finished a short film I wrote/directed called Honeymoon Inn that will be hitting the festival circuit soon. It follows a 1960s bohemian couple playing an intense game of heads or tails. It was made with a very small but mighty cast and crew and was an absolutely rad time.
As a professional photographer, I’ve been shooting creative musician portraits and concerts. I enjoy the world of music so much, so I love that I get to capture it on camera. I feel like my background in theatre and dance really helps with the ability to anticipate movement and spacing on stage while finding the emotional undercurrent for the image.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Oh there has been plenty of luck! Blind luck, loud luck, quiet luck, nurtured luck, luck hidden under things that I didn’t even know existed. It’s all played a part to getting me exactly where I am.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Photos by Jordan Howell
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