Meet Jessica Stratman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Stratman.

Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in LA and although it would seem my acting career would have started early being from the city of angels, the journey doesn’t really begin until after high school. My early years were filled with drama and monologues in speech and debate and the love of acting brewed strong when I was a young child. However, the need for stability and a strong path toward college drew me out of my dream of acting and landed me in the student council. I spent my entire high school career studying and working toward college, leaving acting to the side. But after high school ended, there was no choice for me anymore, the passion outgrew my constrained mindset.

I started out simple with short films in college. I built a strong relationship with the film department at my college. I was a theater minor and dabbled with improv throughout my years in college. Despite earning my degree in political science, I think I acquired a strong education in film acting as well.

After graduating, I entered my “self submission era” which consisted of a year and a change of doing a variety of projects solely from self-submission on casting websites like backstage and actors access. I did everything from unpaid short films made on a Samsung phone to working with National Geographic and ending up on Disney+. The world of self-submission is wide and unpredictable.

Following that came a period of stillness and no motivation. This could be the hardest part of my life and certainly of my acting career. Nothing was happening for me at all. And I couldn’t blame the industry or luck; the only person I could blame is myself.

I am now entering a new phase. , within the last couple of months, worked as a lead in a feature, worked with an Emmy-winning production company and securing a manager. I feel the tides changing. Here’s to hoping this new era brings the version of the career I’ve dreamt of my entire life.

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?
The road has been incredibly difficult. I assumed my biggest struggle would be rejection as they often say, but that has not nearly been my experience. I mainly face two struggles (among many, but these two are most prominent).

The first is the struggle to find representation. I have done so much to obtain an agent or a manager. I have delivered my materials in person, I did a mass online submission individually crafting over 30 submissions, I have used tools like talent link, and reached out to friends in the Industry to recommend me to their managers/ agents. All that considered, I have been left with nothing. I would get bites and either realize they were not legit or not working hard enough or get close to signing with someone great to have the rug pulled out from under me.

The difficulty of not having representation is that you can’t even gauge your own ability because you haven’t even gotten into the audition room to know.

Having recently signed with a manager, I hope this struggle has subsided.

And my second struggle is a struggle for motivation. This one hurts the most because you are the reason for your own failure. There’s no way to offset the blame. Lack of motivation works in an endless brutal cycle because without motivation you don’t get work and without work, you have no motivation.

I hope my new era of acting means a remedy for both of these struggles, but I also understand that struggle will follow you wherever you go, no matter how high that may be.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Given how essential a second (and for me third) job is in this industry, I feel as connected to my day job as I do to acting. This is not the way I’d like it to be forever, but taking pride in your work is always important. I work as both a server and a substitute teacher.

Serving at Public School 818 has changed my life simply from the relationships I’ve formed there. Meeting friends in the industry is a luxury I never knew. Having people who get where you’re coming from and getting to talk about your passions is an incredibly healing thing.

I am also a substitute teacher. This is work I take great pride in. Engaging with students and surrounding yourself with young energy is healing.

I am so proud of the work I do and think it is a large part of me and my journey in this industry, even if it’s only a pit stop.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’ve talked a lot about motivation and I think that is the most crucial characteristic for success. No matter how strong of an actor you are, how lucky you would be, how strong of a worker you are – without motivation, you will go nowhere. I know this firsthand because for a year, I went nowhere. It seems so simple. This is the thing in the world you care about the most; acting pulses through your veins and consumes your every thought, so why wouldn’t you be motivated? A question I couldn’t answer. Acting could be your entire world but if you’re not motivated it won’t matter. It is the first and most crucial characteristic for success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessicastratman1.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicastratman/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jessystratman5935

Image Credits
Chris Jon Photography