Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Mimms.
Jason, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I got my start in a small black theatre company, formerly known as the Chicago Theatre Company on Chicago’s South Side. It was small magical place and a hidden jewel for all who found it before it faded away. My parents discovered they were hosting an acting class. This class ignited a fire I didn’t know existed in me and became the foundation of my career. Never has another dream that crossed my mind.
Funny enough, I resisted joining the class because I was an incredibly shy kid and the idea terrified. In fact, my mom tricked me into going because she knew I would never have chosen to attend. Luckily, I fell in love, and at age ten knew this would be my life. I was cast in my first professional play at 14 and earned a write up in the Chicago Sun-Times that would make any actor smile.
I went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Clark Atlanta University. I immediately landed my first television gig on the then popular reality TV comedy show “Hell Date” on B.E.T., Season 2.
I would love to pretend everything skyrocketed from there. In fact, I imagined that it would. In reality, it got very quiet very quickly. I moved back to Chicago from Atlanta to work for my Dad in electrical contracting and immediately felt like a shell of my former self. I did book a few commercials, a few background appearances but nothing was biting. One day my Dad introduced me to another contractor bragging that I was an actor, really talking me up. I was covered in plaster dust, smelled like a penny, and I didn’t even recognize the actor he was describing. I knew then that if this was ever going to be a real career of mine I had to go out and take it. So I did, and no less than a few months later I decided to move to Los Angeles after raising enough money with a going away party to get here.
This next part of my journey can only be described as “identity.” I learned, quickly, what I was made of and, painfully, discarded much of the stuff I wasn’t along the way. Finding an agent, losing an agent, auditioning and not, booking roles and being completely overlooked, moving every year, working countless odd end jobs, taking classes, performing in numerous sketch comedy shows and theatre productions for free or close, all while getting my ego polished and smashed daily. This year I watched myself in my first Super Bowl commercial spot which was wild and a couple of movie and television roles later, I’m working on my first digital comedy series, JU-jU; based on a superstitious screenwriter who is derailed from his Hollywood writing dream after his voodoo cursed past comes back to haunt him. Can you tell that it’s autobiographical?
Great, 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?
I’ve struggled with what most artists face when navigating a career in L.A.: financial setbacks, doubt, lack of motivation, fears and, often, depression. The most challenging thing for me has been learning who I am! Truly dedicating myself to a craft requires decisions that many don’t understand or even desire to – sacrifices that most would never make. Because I’m often at the crossroads of things that would make life easier but take me from my art, I’m usually detached from common experiences and the very things that ground me or provide a suitable living. Who I am in that space? The space where I chase my dreams unrelentingly and the space where I want to let up on the gas little? That person changes all of the time – shapeshifts to meet my artistic needs. It can be terrifying.
I’ve learned that many times, I am my biggest obstacle. Having to shed self-proclaimed titles like “Actor” or “Artist” and try to just exist as fully as I can is hard work. Especially, when you live in this duality where career blinders are on so tight that you miss the point of the journey: joy, friends, traveling and, most importantly, growth. I’ve become more aware of the blinders and of the moments when I’m detached. I won’t say it’s gotten easier to manage the duality but I think my awareness helps me re-attach a little faster.
Please tell us more about your work and what you are currently focused on.
I am an actor, so I’m capable of becoming a range of things but m most known for comedy. But like many comedic actors, I’m a very serious study when it comes to drama. Off-screen, I’m a visual artist among other things. In fact, if I never pursued acting, I would have gone into fine art because I was gifted in drawing as a kid. My High School Art teacher actually begged me not to give it up. While I didn’t give it up entirely, it was the acting bug that bit me harder.
If I’m not on stage, or on camera, I’m designing, editing, writing, and even directing. All which I am most proud to put to use in my new digital series comedy alongside Finding Freddie Media.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have way too many to count – my childhood was great. BUT, my favorite memories are all surrounding Christmas with the family. There’s no particular year that stands out, just the season leading up to the day was the best. In Chicago, it’s always freezing and snowing around that time; most people hate our winters, but I think that’s the best part. The blistering cold always had a way of bringing everyone closer together, and making everything really warm and inviting. I want to be clear: I hate the cold, but Christmastime in Chicago cold is different. You’re dressed in layers of heavy clothes; boots, coats, long underwear, sweaters, hats, and gloves, and it takes forever to get undressed. The endearing moments came after the cold, just like in the old Campbell’s Soup commercial where the little boy melts from a snowman back into himself after a spoonful of soup.
The cold brings out some of the most enjoyable times for me. I remember everything being slower, mounds of plowed snow pushed to the side, your breath hanging in the air in front of you, everything lit up and flashing, Christmas songs singing from the radio, no homework, all the great movies airing on tv, my Dad’s famous Chili, and the countless family laughs with the heat set on “Hell.” My parents loved Christmas shopping and would cram us in the car with my hilarious grandmother – she would heckle my dad as he drove and fuss the whole way. This got funnier with each passing year. I have so many memories from my childhood but I revisit Christmastime in Chicago with every chill in the air I feel.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_mimms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jcmimms/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonacts4reel
Image Credit:
Bjoern Kommerell, Micahael Sung Ho
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