We recently connected with Jeff Bower and have shared our conversation below.
Jeff, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
When I was a small child I entertained everyone at my daycare center by singing and putting on an impromptu show. Creativity for me has always been a river flowing throughout my life. I found that being active in several different disciplines (acting, writing, singing, etc.) helps to bring energy to all the different areas of creativity in my life. The other key for me was using both sides of my brain. I have a BA in Mathematics and a MFA in Theatre. By bouncing back and forth and utilizing both the practical and creative sides of my personality, I was always able to keep pushing out new works. However, like many people, I found the pandemic to be a serious dam on the flow of creativity in my life. I would stare blankly at my computer screen, wondering if what I was doing was even worth my time since the world we lived in was turned upside down. However, the only way to keep my creativity alive was by showing up every day and writing….something. Even if it was free writing or a personal journal, just by sitting down, freeing my mind, and allowing myself to just type, was I able to keep going. I also tapped into personal stories (my time as a professional mascot and receiving death threats for acting in a play) to help bring the creativity back alive.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’ve always loved writing. When I was a kid, I won a few short story competitions. When I received my MFA in Theatre, I spent a lot of time developing and honing my skills as a playwright. Between the professional theatre company I co-founded with my wife and friends (Rude Mechanical Productions) and my position as Theatre Department Chair at a performing arts high school in Florida, I was able to have 7 of my plays produced. This led to one of my plays, PERICLES BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: AS PERFORMED BY MS. GOWERS’ 1st GRADE CLASS being published by Samuel French. It is performed at a school somewhere in the continental US at least once a year.
Upon moving to Los Angeles I realized I should be writing screenplays/TV shows in coffee shops like 90% of the population. But seriously, after graduating from the iO and UCB improv programs I wrote five comedy TV pilots. My pilot BABY NOT ON BOARD, co-written with my long-time friend Matt Stabile, placed well in several competitions and earned us a meeting at Amazon Studios based on a cold submission.
Then one day, I felt compelled to write an hour long drama about a town recovering from a school shooting. The topic of school shootings is extremely important to me, having had to conduct several code red drills during my teaching days and because my wife is an alum of Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida. The script was a huge success, winning competitions (ScreenCraft) and earning me representation with Paul Weitzman (formerly at Abrams Artists and now Culture Creative Entertainment).
My follow up script, FIX, about a man with the ability to rewind time and change every aspect of his life, except his most painful, was highly successful. Recently it placed 2nd at the prestigious PAGE awards. I went on dozens of general meetings and the script was in development at Kennedy Marshall for a year. It’s currently in the top 10 of all Sci-Fi scripts on Coverfly.
While typing away and going on meetings, I also learned (through the internet and trial and error) how to narrate and produce audiobooks, mainly through the website ACX. I am an Audible Approved narrator and have completed 150 book. I’ve narrated everything from self-help to romance to Sci-fi to biographies. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding side job. I get paid to read in the dark!
Right before the pandemic I wrote a play, THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK OF TODAY, about an agoraphobic online teacher struggling with his mental health after a tragic event. The script has received several accolades (Finalist at Screen Craft, 2nd rounder at Austin Film Festival) and was selected for a reading and workshop at the Theatre Lab New Play Festival in Boca Raton, Fl. They flew me out in March to perfect the script and it was an incredible success. Lots of good news (too early to share) is coming from this play. Everyone who saw it was extremely moved by the script. It’s an emotionally charged look at mental health. I don’t use “kid gloves.” It’s an honest and brutal and sometimes funny examination of a major issue in our country that I hope gets people talking in a positive way.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resiliency, Work ethic, and a Child-Like enthusiasm for life.
In the artistic world, resiliency is an absolute must. People talk about the rejection you’ll face in this industry, but until you’re in it, until you’re in the trenches actually hearing those “no’s” day in and day out, you really don’t realize what it will do to you. Don’t get me wrong, some days are really rough, but you have to be resilient. You have to rise up from the rejection and sit your ass back down at the computer and keep typing.
Work ethic is an underrated factor in our modern world. Sure, you may have written one great script, but that’s not how you create a career. You have to keep pounding on those keys and working hard to make any progress in this world. I self taught myself how to record, edit, and master audio tracks to become an Audible Approved narrator, solely through my hard work.
And last, I’ve always had a Child-Like enthusiasm for life. I like to look at the world as one giant school yard game. You have to be excited and ready for anything thrown your way. You have to bounce back quick. You have to be pliable and willing to take on new experiences.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My entire life and opportunities are only possible due to my extremely supportive and amazing wife, Ivelyn. We got married in a courthouse, six months after we began dating because we both knew we would spend the rest of our lives together. It’s a lot easier to work hard and fight for your dreams when you’ve got the perfect partner as a spouse. She is a Speech Language Pathologist, working with elementary school kids. She inspires me each and every day. I love you, Snarfdu!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: jeffrobowa
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-bower-73699a5b/
- Twitter: jeffbowerLA
Image Credits
Headshot by Clay Larsen All other photos by Jeff and Ivelyn Bower
