Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jackson Schlekewey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jackson, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Years of trial, error and looking in the mirror. Hell, I’m still not all the way there, but I’d like to think I’m making progress in figuring it out. I think purpose just comes down to what fulfills you. I grew up oblivious to the nagging feeling in my head that film and performance was what I really wanted to do. Through years or trying different “more practical” paths, I kept finding myself most enthusiastic about all things film: the artistry, the cultural impact, and most importantly the way it makes people feel. It was all I talked about, but always viewed as this impenetrable idea I could never actually do. It wasn’t until a mentor of mine, who had been in the industry years ago, talked me into taking my first steps into acting. Each step of the journey thereafter has been endlessly fulfilling and worthwhile. I’m continually challenging myself and growing. After my acting career got started, I have begun another once intimidating journey… directing. Of course there are hard times, but since making my decision, I have never once regretted it. Now that I understand a little bit about creative expression, my purpose has now evolved into telling stories I find fun and engaging. Hopefully, others will enjoy them along the way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’d consider myself an actor first and foremost. Acting is where I started, trained and have been focusing most of my energy over the fist few years of my career. However, directing is a passion I feel has finally caught up to acting to the point where I’d consider them equal. My start to directing spurred from a 3×5 film competition, where we had 5 days to make a 3 minute short film. Looking for a good excuse to jump into directing, I assembled a team of 3 people and myself and in 48 hrs made my first film, “Shave Me From Myself”, a comedy shot like a horror film, about a man’s love and loss of his mustache. Ecstatic just to have gotten into the festival, I was floored when I found out… we won. Not only did our film win best of fest, but I somehow took home Best Director. The validation after years of procrastination and excuses for why I couldn’t do it was unlike anything I had felt before. Felt like the universe telling me I was on the right path.
I now love both acting and directing for very different reasons – Acting, you get to really dive into your specific role, exploring nuances and exciting connection. Where directing, you’re feeling a vision come to life and it’s hard to describe the level of joy you feel when someone enjoys a film you and your team worked your ass off on. After years of neglecting my creative urge, it is so surreal and rewarding to finally be in this position… but this is still just the beginning!
Right now the vibe of the industry is to continue the search for work, but make your own opportunities along the way.
Acting wise, I really focused on commercial work over the last year, which I was grateful to see success in. I have worked with some amazing companies like Amazon, Samsonite, and IHOP, as well as, amazing creative teams that have certainly propelled my career forward. I’m now focusing on getting back to more narrative pieces. I love comedy, but also love the emotional challenges that come from dramatic work. Projects that blend the two are dream roles for me.
Directing wise, I just finished my second short film, “Tomorrow”, which is a dark comedy about two suicidal men who meet on the same rooftop and try to talk each other down. “Tomorrow” is currently making its way around the festival circuit, picking up some amazing Dark Comedy, Acting and Directing awards along the way. It was a great experience and now it’s time to begin expanding, exploring, and most importantly fostering my style and growth as a filmmaker.
I’m so excited for what’s to come, I am set to co-star in a dark buddy-comedy short film at the end of the year, and in the development process our first feature length film with my team.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Do the work. There’s no way around it, believe me, I’ve tried. Everyone learns it at some point in this industry; no one is going to come save you. You have to do the work yourself. It seems super daunting at times (which is ok!), but making a plan with small, attainable steps is the best method I have found. Set small goals you can clearly see the path to and just get started. If something seems scary, good, that means you care. Now prepare like hell and do it.
2. Learn to collaborate. This is something I still can struggle with from time to time. As an artist you think you have to do everything alone. That if you had help from a friend at any point its cheating and you’re going to artist jail. I strongly disagree. I had a teacher once tell me “if you want to do art alone, go be a painter”. Acting and directing both do have their individualistic properties, but overall you will need others to bounce ideas of off, gain perspective, rehearse, make a film happen, or even to talk through some frustrations. Creative journeys are all different, but a lot of the challenges being faced are the same. Talk with people, see if you can help each other, brainstorm and execute. Remember, a rising tide raises all ships.
3. Trust your instincts. Art is an expression of yourself. If you’re working on something that isn’t engaging you, it might be the wrong project for you. On the other hand, if you can’t stop thinking of that other project, well, sounds like you already know which way to go. That feeling in your gut is your inner artist nudging you in the direction you want to go… Cheesy, I know, but it’s true. Your brain is your enemy and overthinking will be inevitable. The goal in any art, but especially acting/directing, is to find methods you can utilize to get out of your head and fall back on the work you’ve done to prepare. This also takes time to learn. Experience will naturally give you more confidence, which will quiet a lot of that negative self talk. The longer you do the thing you love, the stronger your instincts become.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
This is a tough one. I think one leads to the other. Getting started, you need to really assess what your strengths are and know how to leverage them to get opportunities. Once you’ve established yourself and have some work done, you can then branch out to begin strengthening some areas you want to explore or might be weak in. The beauty of maximizing your strengths is you naturally gain new strengths along the way. That was the case for me when it came to acting. As I began spending more time on set, even if it was as a background actor, I observed and learned from the directors I saw. How they acted, what they said, how things flowed. I knew it was an interest of mine, but I wasn’t mentally ready just yet. After years of growing as an actor, I had a number of amazing creative people I loved working with. When the time came to make my directorial debut on “Shave Me From Myself”, I had friends to ask for a hand to make it happen. If I never focused on my acting career to begin with, I would have never felt “ready” to take the leap to directing. I think you need to be smart and use whatever strengths you have to your advantage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jacksonschlekewey.com/
- Instagram: @jackschlek
Image Credits
Stage Image (#3) – Jill Petracek
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