Life & Work with Jackie Nico

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Nico.

Hi Jackie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Acting has been a lifelong passion for me. I started when I was in 3rd grade. I wrote a script for school. My teacher loved it and helped produce the production at our school. I played one of the characters that I wrote about in my play and loved it. The rest was history! I then went on to study at The Second City in Chicago and was consistently involved in on-camera and theater productions. I always knew I was going to end up in Los Angeles someday. After studying theater and dance for a bit at Dean College in MA. I took a big chance and leapt with joy to Los Angeles. I spent over a decade in LA full time continuing my craft in theater, film and voiceovers.

Along my journey, I had two incredible children who also have a passion for the arts. I became very aware of this industry and the challenges it presents in raising children full-time in LA, so I made another brave leap to move our family to Park City, Utah and am thrilled to be a part of the entertainment market in both Utah and LA now!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This road has been anything but smooth but instead of saying bumps in the road, I’m going to call them turns. I had many moments where I felt the pressure of this industry and many agents/ managers around me trying to shape me to what they felt was best for my career. Many of which were not in line with who I knew I was as a person or artist. I feel the road become much more of a strait shot for me when I had my children and the number one thing I teach them is to be true to themselves. But of course the moments of, “Your hair too dark, your not thin enough, I don’t like the smell of your shampoo” (Yes, that happened one time on set ) still was all a part of my journey and reminding myself that I no longer needed to subscribe to fitting into any mold and forging my own path through creative collaboration with others who have the same moral ground as me is the way to go.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most of my work now consists of projects that I’m super passionate about in collaboration with decades of friends in this industry. I love writing, acting and producing with others who have a similar creative vision to me. It has been really fun breaking into the Utah market as well commercially and expanding my creative community that way. The other thing that has kept me grounded is having a side hustle of my wellness business. I also love working with my wellness clients in helping them get back to themselves and knowing their truth! I’m always going to be most proud of being a single mother to my two children. I tell everyone my favorite role I have ever had is being a mom. It’s definitely my purpose. I could not comprehend the depths of my heart until I had them. They are my driving force, my joy, my challenge and what motivates me to never give up on my dreams.

I believe that motherhood and being deeply integrated in a wellness practice every day is what sets me apart. My yoga, meditation and wellness business have kept me grounded and detached from the expectations of others. It has given me my life back, especially in this industry where everything can become about sucking your soul away from you. To come back to myself and help guide others on how to do the same has been vital.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The best advice I can give to anyone starting out in the entertainment industry is only do it if you absolutely love it. If your purpose is for any other reason than love I recommend going where your love and passion is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/jnico/home
• Instagram: The.jnico

Image Credits
Alex Valente Jordan Price