Meet Jared Mathis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Mathis.

Hi Jared, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Jared “Izy” Mathis. I am 29 years old and originally from Los Angeles, CA. To be born in Los Angeles, and grow up there, has been a surreal experience. It’s almost as if you’re expected to live a life of glamour and excess, which you can if that’s your prerogative, but the real experience there requires “hustle” and “flow” like every big city does. I grew up in the Mid-City District, the original “Black Hollywood”. I lived down the street from the liquor store where the store scene was shot in the film “Malibu’s Most Wanted”. I remember as a kid recognizing the store in the film with my cousins and feeling popular by association. Life is kind of funny in that regard. I tend to know, meet, and become good friends with many people who are considered “famous” nowadays.

At a young age, I would spend much of my time in front of the television watching a range of movie genres with my grandmother, Sharon Cash (featured with the singing group – Honey Cone, 1976). My favorites were the musical and dance films such as “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Wiz” and “Fame”. I would attend live shows with my aunt and return home singing and dancing! What truly captured my heart was Janet Jackson’s “Velvet Rope” tour. The combination of popular music and dance excited me! In the years that followed, I spent my free time learning choreography from music videos or used my shadows that appeared on the living room wall to choreograph my own concerts with background dancers. The late 90s – early 2000s were such a vibe! Boy bands and Popstars! Janet, NSYNC, TLC, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, etc.

I attended grade school (6-12) in Inglewood, CA, then Humboldt State University to major in Interdisciplinary Dance Studies. As a teenager, I knew there was much to discover about myself and my surroundings. My schools were small in scale compared to others and I liked that. I am reserved upon meeting. People would claim it to be “shyness”, but I’m actually observing the people, environment, and intent of my circumstance. I am this way about the arts too! Ok, so I was pretty reserved then, which caused me to experience many missed opportunities; and it was during this period that I decided I would make changes. In short, I desired to be seen and accepted for who I am and what I am skilled in.

I mention these details to display that all of the seemingly random thoughts and experiences I may have had culminated into the man I am making now. The life lessons and experiences culminated into words to explain how I got where I am. No one thing is directly connected to the other, and yet here we are. It’s 2021, and I have been a stagehand, dancer, choreographer, stage manager, director, and producer of live shows for the past decade. I learn and study my crafts. I’ve had the great fortune to travel the states, perform, and produce creative works. My name has been mentioned in seemingly small places but later appear in publications, such as Broadway World or VoyageLA. God has truly been my shepherd in this life.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It certainly has been anything but smooth.

I am family-oriented, so many of my friends and colleagues could tell you of the times I sacrificed something I wanted for the betterment of my family collective. As the eldest sibling and son, I believe it is my duty to ensure the progression of my collective. I use the term “collective” because my family extends beyond blood. I’ve seen my parents open our doors to many people in need of help. Whether it was a friend from school who needed time away from their life situation, a relative who had nowhere to go, or sometimes a stranger on the street who needed a drink of water or a moment to release from their grief, my parents would help; especially, my late father, Gary Hudson. He understood what it meant to be someone distressed from their current circumstance and the change that could incur over time through love, patience, and understanding.

I highly valued their intent to be an assist, and over time, I adopted the same intention.

Back to me: One of the most challenging yet deserving struggles I endured took place in the summer of 2017. My then-partner and I were living together in a yellow Chevy G10 van we bought some months prior. We had just wrapped a reading of a musical he wrote and were set to take a trip from California to New Jersey. I woke that day knowing we had little money, the van was mechanically “going-through-it”, and we had a 2-year Husky named Joey who we were fostering! It took us five days to reach New Jersey. Five! The van would stop mid-drive when the engine was too hot, so we traveled at night. The first day when we finally arrived in Arizona to meet a bro of mine, I was sickened from the excessive heat and experienced dehydration for the first time. After my recovery, we pressed on and endured problem after problem after problem. I was detained in Oklahoma on day 2. I didn’t tell my mother until a month later. (Ha Ha!) Things happen.

Long story short, we made it to New Jersey, where a whole other set of issues came into play. I had never choreographed or developed a full-length musical before that summer. My experience was little to none in comparison to my then-partner. My invitation to the production team was based on my experience as a “dancer” in musical productions and my desire to become a reputable “choreographer”. I was given a chance to pursue my dream by a fellow dreamer, and together we made our dreams come true. Since then, I have produced, managed, and choreographed six full-length productions, and I still have much to learn!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
“Jack of all trades. Master of none. Don’t want to hear that shit again when I’m doing it all.”

That is a rap lyric I wrote in winter 2018 after seeing Childish Gambino in concert at the Madison Square Garden that year. A week or so before, Mac Miller had passed away, and as a fellow artist and fan of his music, I was taken aback by the news. I loved playing Mac’s “K.I.D.S.” mixtape in college on repeat. “The Spins” and “Kool-Aid & Frozen Pizza” were my jams. And then, Blue Slide Park was released, and so on. I felt inspired to give “rap” a try. Not my cup of tea! In my opinion, I don’t have the sound for it.

I discovered the word – emulate – in elementary school. The word means to “match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.” I began to notice my ability to see or hear a thing and then copy it. Like that character in the series, “Heroes” who could copy anything or anyone she saw. That’s gangsta’ to me, and one of the reasons I allow myself to explore the performing arts – the ability to express a character, emotion, or object personified. In my youth, I didn’t enjoy acting in front of people or singing aloud since both required speech. I thought I would be taking the “easy route” by dancing. I was so wrong when Ms. Debbie Allen required me to sing for a role as the lead in an acting scene we were prepping. She often reiterates the importance of acting in dance, and yes, she had me do both, and I did without hesitation (Ms. Allen is my lifelong role model & inspiration). I booked the role. It’s the “small” moments for me.

“Neuroplasticity changing up your brain like a chameleon tryna’ get the shades right.”

I made it my mission to set myself apart. While my peers are looking one way, I’m looking another. I have never been one to follow a crowd. When my peers would mention they want to dance with an artist, I wanted to choreograph the artist. When it’s mentioned to choreograph a set, I want to direct the entire production. When discussing opportunities to teach, I want to own the studio.

I am a mix of both an entrepreneur and intrapreneur.

As an entrepreneur, I am currently developing an organization I founded, Artistic Mastery Collective. It’s been a solo effort and dream of mine for the past decade, so if anyone is interested in joining my efforts in building this one-stop-shop for performance development and management, DM me @artisticmasterycollective on IG. I am curating a database of studios, performance venues, performers, agencies, and more to provide information to the “struggling artist”, “freelancer”, and the like.

At AMC, we believe that our guests and members are all “masters in the making”.

As an intrapreneur, I use the various skills I’ve gained over the years to assist in the improvement of small businesses and nonprofit organizations, as well as provide consultative services to novice and pre-professional performers and artists expanding into dance and business. I tend to operate as an “assistant general manager” or “assistant production manager” on jobs and projects. As of recent, I inherited a trucking business called “G Hud and Sons Trucking, Inc.” from my late father, who taught me the importance and value of working for betterment of self in tandem with others.

I love what I do, and this is only the beginning.

How do you define success?
Success is a culmination of the incremental choices, decisions, intentions and responses set forth in alignment with the goal(s) and mission(s) bestowed upon you.

Pricing:

• “Back to the Basic” Dance Training, $25/1.5-hour session
• Open Level Dance Classes, $10/1-hour session
• Consultations, $55/ 1-hour session
• Choreography, Full-length Musical Productions (3-4 months), $1500+
• Choreography, Video Production (1-3 months) $350+

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: artistimasterycollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izrye.el/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticMasteryDanceCo/