Today we’d like to introduce you to Iona Morris Jackson
Hi Iona, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
First of all, thank you for reaching out to me. I hired a social media company to get me comfortable with posting and to up my followers. As we spoke and I became clear that this was the perfect company for me to align myself with, the last thing the owner mentioned to me that he would need me to do is an IG Live conversation. I immediately said, “No. That’s not going to happen.” Now, though I had always wanted to speak to people, inspire them, share my heart… I was still too scared to do it. “Who would ever want to hear what I have to say?” It was a 3 month contract. In the last month, he asked me about doing the IG Live event. Again, “No!” He asked several times before it was the last week. He told me I could just do 30 minutes. So… I took a deep breath and decided to call my brother, actor Phil Morris, to ask him to do it with me as I’d seen some of his IG Live postings. Let’s just talk next Thursday. We’d just talk on my page. Easy. One shot deal.. Well… WELL… we had a great time. So, Tuesday the following week, I asked him if he wanted to do it again. And, that started our, now 3 year conversation. By the end of the year, we’d named our show THE VISION IS POSSIBLE and now we have a YouTube Channel and are getting ready to launch our podcast on Apple +, Spotify and Amazon. This has been and continues to be an exciting journey. We love inspiring people, changing their lives in a positive way. Giving them options of how they can make their visions possible. Introducing them to our guests. We are now expanding the platform on who we have on and am working diligently to create a world connection, inviting guests from many other countries to share their stories, their struggles and triumphs, their views of how we can all meet the visions we seek.
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?
Well… it hasn’t been real rocky, but it’s not easy building a platform and an audience. One of the challenges for me was the technical side. I am the producer, editor, content creator, sink and bottle washer… AND co-host. Hahaha! I had to rewire my brain to understand how to work the platform I stream the show live on, Ecamm, the reels editing platform I use – Descript and I am continuing to learn how to reach an audience who’s never heard of us and attract people. I am not working a full time job at the moment as I am a Director, actress and writer and podcaster. I am taking this time to delve into our podcast and continue shaping it. This is a full time job. I knew, but I didn’t know what it would take to continue the schedule I’ve set up of three videos a week, several other postings depending on what is going on in the world and with the political climate we are facing; I decided to post everyday during Black History Month, a Black contributor to history and now during Women’s History Month, I am doing the same and I’ve committed to find the day or month or week celebrations of all peoples and post about them so that we do not forget and we learn how important not only all of us are, but those who we’d probably never hear of. Time management is my biggest struggle. But, setting a schedule and knowing I can only do what I can do within a certain time is what I am working to achieve in my daily work. But, more than anything, this is a JOY!!!!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Below, I have include my biography, but I will answer some of your questions above directly. I love being an artist. I started out as an actress and then voiceovers came into my world. After writing and performing several one-person shows, a friend asked me to direct her show and after 3 months of refusing to go to her rehearsal because, “I was an actress…” Oh my… makes me laugh now because I when I finally went to her rehearsal, my creative life changed and opened up. In my directing world, I am easy to work with. I love to inspire my actors when I am directing and push then past where they think they can go. And, then I bask in their excitement of what they have achieved. It brings me joy to see them happy with themselves. I am a good story teller and visually exciting to work with, as I want the best and most interesting for any project I work on and do my best to not do the norm, but to add an element of unexpected moments in my work. I am most proud of the work I’ve done with actors as a director and with writers, who’s stories I help to not only bring to fruition, but to help shape, bringing their story to life. What sets me apart, I don’t really know how to answer that, but… I think I could say, my crazy off the beaten path imaginative mind, my spirit that I use in every thing I do. I believe we creatives are sages. We are here to not only reflect society back to itself, but to also offer another way of moving through it that could be better for everyone. To entertain and to teach, to uplift and to guide, to make you laugh, cry… to feel something that makes you think in a more positive way about anything that may be on your mind. To reach people’s hearts and to uplift the race consciousness past some of the mundane and negative thoughts that can permeate it. I direct theatre, television (still looking for my 2nd TV opportunity), have just come back to acting and voiceover work. I’m full of energy and striving for more all the time.
Below is my bio:
Iona Morris directed the ABC/Disney hit comedy, BLACKish, the emotional penultimate episode for its last 8th season, “If A Black Man Cries In The Woods” and was nominated for a Hollywood Critics Award and a NAACP Image Award for Best Director of a Comedy. Her short, “Celeste’s Dreams,” which she Directed, Wrote and Co-Executive Produced, has been in 14 Short Film Festivals, garnering 3 nominations and the Award for Merit from the Canadian Short Film Festival. Her directing credits in theater include co-creating, directing and co-writing the star-studded sold out concert event “Broadway Under The Stars: 35th Anniversary of Dreamgirls” starring the 3 Broadway original actresses Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday. Iona won a Best Director Award from the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Awards for her direction of the award winning comedy play “Sassy Mamas.” She’s directed 2 successful solo shows for Jenifer Lewis, also adding co-writer while directing Blair Underwood’s one-man show, director and contributing monologuist for Penny Johnson Jerald’s solo show followed by several other talented artists who’s one-person shows she directed including Kim Wayans, Tammi Mac’s award winning solo show, funny Michael Colyar’s touring show and many others. Iona directed the 21 person musical Sheba in L.A. and at the N.Y. Musical Theatre Festival and has directed Vagina Monologues many times with star-studded casts from coast to coast and these are just a few of the many theatrical projects Iona has been proud to direct.
As an actress, Iona has won several theatrical awards – Best Solo Show, Best Ensemble work and Best Supporting actress. She’s appeared in “BLACKish,” 5 years recurring on the soap opera “As The World Turns,” recurring on “Moesha,” “The Shield,” “The District,” guest starring on Star Trek:Voyager, “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” “Lincoln Heights,” “Cold Case,” “Love That Girl,” “Soul Man” and many other television series. Her theatrical work includes the award winning productions “Sassy Mamas,” “In The Red & Brown Water,” “Up The Mountain, “ “Two Rooms” and many other plays from coast to coast.
Iona is also a voice over talent proud to be voted the favorite voice of Storm from the “X- Men” cartoon, in the ’80’s.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Never give up on you!!! Follow your dreams, your visions for the life you want and be truthful along the way. Not everyone is meant to be an actress. You may be the next fantastic designer, director, writer… You may be the next doctor, secretary extraordinaire or stay at home mom. Think of what you want to do that makes you happy and affects others in a positive way. That will lead you to the truth of what this life is about for you. Be specific about what you want and do all you can to get it. And, listen to the universe. Ohhhh… it is always talking to us. It’s that little voice, that thought you have every day. It is so much smarter than we are. And, above all… remember to make yourself your bestfriend. The one you KNOW you can rely on and if you aren’t – WORK ON IT TO BE TRUE! Love YOU! You can’t be more to anyone else until you are that for yourself. You can be great at anything until YOU know YOU love whatever that anything is for you. One last thing… forgive yourself for whatever you think you’ve done wrong. Today is a new day. Renew yourself. And, forgive those around you. Anger is an aging agent and a killing agent for your soul. Remember, my darlings, love truly is the only way. Doesn’t mean you stay friends or keep certain people in your life, but giving them the power of your anger or pain… is keeping all of that with you. Love the experience for what it taught you and let them go. Forgive them for not knowing better and you KNOW better by moving on.
As I complete this, I review my answers and realize I should share with you my lineage. I am what that call Hollywood royalty. My father was Greg Morris from the original ’60’s to ’70’s series MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE. I bring to my work a respect for the craft he instilled and others we met through him, in me. The love for actors and every crew members, respecting that all of us have something to offer to what we are creating. He gave me the opportunities in world travel and meeting incredible noteworthy people when I was young which taught me not only the respect I wrote earlier, but the humbleness that ALL of us have something to offer. That ALL of us are no better than the other person and to respect all peoples of all nationalities and sexual orientation. Our parents taught us to make people happy by cooking, throwing parties, listening, loving, advising, being honest with and supporting. To do all this even when it’s hard. My brother is Phil Morris, Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld and an actor from many other productions, animations and books on tape. He is my cohort in our podcast THE VISION IS POSSIBLE.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thevisionispossible
- Instagram: @ionalotofgold
- Facebook: Iona Morris
- LinkedIn: Iona Morris
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@thevisionispossible
