Life and Work with Jenny Austin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Austin.

Jenny, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 5 or 6 years old, I dreamed of becoming a writer as I loved the art of storytelling. In 5th grade, I competed in the DARE Essay competition for my school and the Spotlight on Students Award for my county and won both. I felt very lucky and proud that I found my passion at a young age. Growing up, I wrote and directed “movies” to play for our family – I even recorded our family voicemail as “the British nanny.” My best friend and I recorded videos of ourselves as “twins” and we called it “Cara & Tara’s Sing-Along.” My sister and I would record ourselves as television hosts and would critique movies that we loved, such as “Snow Day” on Nickelodeon. Because of all of these antics, we now have a hilarious collection of home videos that really map my love for performance and need for a creative outlet throughout my childhood. I realized that, like writing, performing in front of an audience is a form of storytelling. I loved that I could use acting to explore living as someone other than myself.

In middle school, I finally performed in my first real play, where I was the youngest cast member in a lead role, playing a comedic British rock star turned fashion model. In high school, I performed in various plays outside of school, such as the dinner theatre horror show, “Redrum” as Bobbie (the murderer), and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” playing Imogene. Inside of school, I became involved with broadcasting and film. I then attended Elon University in North Carolina where I studied Broadcast Journalism and Theatre Arts.

Education has always been important to me. While at Elon, I lived, studied and interned in Los Angeles. I interned for a talent management company where I could truly see what happened behind the scenes, and that inspired me to pursue my dreams even more.

At 18, I landed my first agent in North Carolina, who helped me land many commercials in the south. After graduating from college, I relocated to Los Angeles in order to continue my pursuit of acting for television and film. Within a year I joined the Screen Actors Guild.

Besides working in the film industry, I’m also very passionate about traveling and learning about different cultures. Studying abroad in Europe changed my life and the UK will always have my heart. Swimming was also a large part of my youth, as I was a competitive swimmer for most of my childhood and teenage years. I worked as a lifeguard for all of my teenage years.

Currently, I work for the Academy (Oscars) part-time. I also produce my own films and enjoy acting in them. I think it’s important to create things. Instead of waiting for someone to give you an opportunity, create one. We are lucky to live in a time where we have access to crowd-funding, social media sites for brand promoting, online DIY and how-to tutorials, communities of creative people from all over the world, and so many forms of technology. The WebSeries that I co-produced, “Or Die Trying”, raised 21k for production and was featured in the successful film website, IndieWire. I am currently in production for a script that I wrote when I was 19, entitled “Bozo: the Valedictorian,” featuring YouTube stars Glozell Green and Ry Doon. On the weekends, I interview actors and filmmakers on red carpets and for press junkets. I feel very lucky to have interviewed many A-listers I admire, such as Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Octavia Spencer, Chris Evans, and more! I feel extremely blessed to live in such a creative city full of opportunity.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It most definitely has not been a smooth road. I didn’t expect it to be at all, but of course, it has been even harder than I thought it would be. I spent my entire life in North Carolina. After graduating Elon, I spent one last summer in NC, then left for good for LA. The hardest part of it all was when my mom dropped me off at the airport and I finally realized I was really moving away from her. She started crying, saying “I’m going to miss you so much,” and it broke my heart because I never see her cry. I melted and wanted to get back in the car with her. It was really hard to leave my close-knit family, my best friends, and the home that built me. But I knew that I had to.

Advice for other women:

The hustle in Los Angeles can be exhausting and sometimes, living a more “normal” life will seem really enticing for you. Don’t give up when the going gets tough. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would be doing it. Happiness is only going to come when you’re honest with yourself about your goals and motivations. Also, don’t let the constant rejection break you down. Remember that there are many factors beating talent that go into making a hiring decision. Being a great actor is no longer enough — you have to have the perfect sellable package. It’s a business.

There is constant sexual harassment in this industry and men in power using young, wide-eyed women with big dreams to their advantage. Listen to your gut. If it feels off, it probably is. [I am SO thankful for the #MeToo movement. It’s been a long time coming.]

Please tell us about Team Friendship.
Right now, I’m involved in a sketch comedy video troupe called “Team Friendship“. It was started by Devin Greene. It’s just so much fun. He holds weekly writers meetings then films the sketches when he can. Our most successful video was written by my Devin Greene along with my best friend Ericka and I, inspired by our experience as nannies. The video is called “LA Parents Pick Baby Names For Their Children.”

Of course, I’m proud of ODT Series! (odtseries.com) discussed earlier, as well as my other film “Bozo: the Valedictorian.”

I think what sets me apart is that as hardworking as I am, I have a sense of humor. I think you need that in this town or you’ll go nuts.

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/jennyaustin
• Phone: 919-618-1020
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @jenniferlouiseaustin
• Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferlouiseaustin
• Twitter: jennyyaustinn
• Other: instagram.com/bozothevaledictorian

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