Daily Inspiration: Meet Pamela Jayne Morgan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Jayne Morgan.

Hi Pamela Jayne, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Like many performing artists, I started young in dance and then high school theater. I found myself completely enthralled with the energetic surge that these performance arts nurtured. After college I dabbled in community theater and became a radio voice-over actor, but then “real life” took center stage as I raised my beautiful daughter and built a creative career as an industrial “corporatainment” producer, theatrical dance studio founder and teacher, and children’s theater director. When my daughter started high school, I got back to treading the boards, then gave myself a milestone birthday gift of tossing my hat into the Boston film and television ring. I started with student and short films, and web series then built my resume with commercials, industrials and indie films before taking a bite of the Big Apple and exploring other markets. I gained representation with a manager and talent agencies, took classes with casting and industry professionals, and my auditions and bookings skyrocketed. I booked my first network co-star (“Law & Order: SVU”) three years after setting on this passionate adventure.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing is smooth in this industry. That’s why it’s called a roller coaster ride! When I first started working as an actor in the Boston market, I booked a lot of projects and the local casting offices got to know me so well that they extended auditions to me directly. When I moved onto the larger markets, my audition frequency became unpredictable. I would have a month or so of terrific auditions and bookings ranging from broadcast and streaming television to studio and other films, and then… crickets. There is no rhyme or reason to the audition (and booking) fluctuations that comprise an actor’s career. Simply, you don’t fit the role (too young or old, not the right height or shape, too polished or too rough around the edges, etc.) or you aren’t the right piece of the casting puzzle. It’s a tough business and you must be your own biggest cheerleader. Confidence and mindset are necessary assets in the acting profession. You must affirm to yourself, daily, that you are worthy – you have the talent, confidence, and knowledge to be a professional actor.

I applied to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) while in college and was accepted; however, I did not receive a scholarship. My parents had paid for my college education, and I was not about to ask them to pay for my attendance at AMDA. So, I didn’t go. But that was a copout, a weak excuse on my part. It wasn’t about finances; it was about my lack of confidence, which was alien to me. I had always been so confident about everything I did. But I think I realized that, had I gone to school in NYC, I would no longer be the big fish in my small New England pond. I would have been a small fish in a big pond at a prestigious performing arts college in the Big Apple. Shame on me for not trying, right?

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
A term used most frequently by industry professionals to describe my work as an actress is “raw authenticity.” I’m not “acting,” per se; I’m living a real life of a character in a story. And while I certainly play sarcastic, bitchy, droll comedy, I gravitate towards dramatic stories of women who are strong and tough; fighters who are loyal with a vulnerable core. Casting directors have likened me to Melissa Leo and Ann Dowd – those are compliments I am thrilled to receive!

One thing I’m proud of is taking a leap as a filmmaker. During the pandemic, when auditions were as rare as a blue lobster and I wanted to keep the creative juices flowing, I decided to create my own content. I commissioned my dear friend and AFI graduate, Seth Chitwood, to write a screenplay based on a film treatment I had written over 25 years earlier as a student in the Video & Radio Production program at New England Institute of Technology. This is how my short film, “The Principal’s Assembly,” was born. I wore three hats for this project: Executive Producer, Story Originator, and Lead Actress. The film tells the story of high school principal Jane Marino (my character) who insists on delivering a sobering speech on the first day of school after the tragic loss of a student, however, her emotional stability is called into question. Themes of substance abuse, mental health, death and grief are laid bare. Talk about “raw authenticity”!

We enjoyed a very successful festival run winning 11 awards (including six for my performance) and nine other nominations. Numerous festival attendees suggested incorporating the film into community organizations’ and academic programming. A bonus for me was being able inspire women to live whatever dream they may be harboring but had to shelve because of survival jobs, family, and other priority commitments. I did not throw my hat into the film/TV acting ring until later in life. And here I am with a respectable acting resume and a short film under my belt as a filmmaker. I have worked with A-list actors and directors including Jason Bateman, Kevin Bacon, Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Amy Adams, Mariska Hargitay, Keira Knightley, Jesse Eisenberg, Kyra Sedgwick, Alexander Payne and Sian Heder. I’m having the time of my life manifesting my dream!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
As I mentioned before – authenticity. When watching actors, you want to receive their story as an authentic experience in real time, not a “portrayal” of a character’s tale. It’s about living truthfully as ME in an imaginary circumstance. How would I – Pam in real life – react to the given conditions of the scene/story, not what do I think this character would do. In this manner I bring myself to the role and a boatload of life experience to my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.PamelaJayneMorgan.com
• Instagram: @pamelajaynemorgan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamelajaynemorgan
• Other: https://www.imdb.me/pamelajaynemorgan

Image Credits
Headshot: Douglas Gorenstein