Making it in Hollywood is the American dream for any creative. It’s been proven again & again that no matter where you’re from, if you work hard enough, you too could “make it”. Hollywood is filled with some of the world’s biggest superstars, and while everything seems to glitter, the truth is, not everything that glitters is gold.
Actor TJ Jackson had quite the breakout season as an actor, from making his appearance in Hulu’s Vacation Friends; joining the highly anticipated second season of P-Valley; to Recurring as Josiah on Tyler Perry’s Ruthless.
It’s rare to find someone who’s willing to help others while getting their own foot in the door. Jackson, however, has no problem sharing his wealth with those interested in avoiding the “starving actor” moniker. Before one gets too excited to spend his money…when we say wealth, we mean his wealth of knowledge & wisdom, as Jackson recently launched ‘The Wealthy Actor’ Program.
We caught up with the eclectic dapper actor who is currently nominated for an NAACP Image Award with the Cast of P-Valley Season 2 for ‘Outstanding Drama Series’.
(Image by Published Photographer George Lott)
Welcome! It’s an honor to have you, so Mr. TJ Jackson…let’s get into it, tell us about ‘The Wealthy Actor’ Program.
“Thank you, glad to be here. This is a mentorship program intended to help actors and creatives learn how to generate & build passive income.”
Nice! When it comes to building income as an actor why do you think this particular program is needed?
“We have so many classes that teach actors the craft & business sides of our industry, but then tell them they have to have two or even three ‘survival jobs’.
I just felt there was a better way for actors to generate income so that they could thrive in this industry…not just survive in it”.
Great Point! One would ask by you being somewhat of a Newcomer, what makes you qualified to do this?
“You know, I asked myself that same question MANY times. The answer is actually in something President Obama used to say: ‘We are the ones that we are looking for’.
My entire professional acting career I’ve wanted a mentor to help guide me on this journey. Someone to take me under their wings to help me navigate the streets of Hollywood.
I’ve even had multiple dreams where I asked Mr. Denzel Washington if he’d mentor me. Unfortunately, I would always wake up before he answered, so Mr. Washington, if you’re reading this right now, the question still stands sir (lol).
With this program, I’m blessed with the opportunity to be the person I’ve been looking for…a mentor to others. I have a heart to help, and a desire to help the working actor thrive in this industry”.
(Click to View The Wealthy Actor E-Book)
Why “The Wealthy Actor”?
“This program is about creating generational wealth, one backyard at a time. It is not a ‘get rich quick’ program/scheme. When you haven’t come from wealth, generating it takes time. However, that’s exactly what we are focusing on…wealth.
The definition of wealth is not how much money you have (that’s rich), but how much time you have to spend the money you have. Wealth is about having the freedom to do what you love to do and not what you have to do. Therefore, we are creating ‘wealthy actors’”.
Wow! You dropped some gems here. What would you say is the ultimate vision for the program?
“I truly believe that when more actors are able to take back control over their own careers, then we as a collective will have more control over the direction of this industry. There is a statistic that says less than 5% of working actors make more than $5,000 a year from acting.
This does two things: 1) Creates an environment of unnecessary competition for projects where actors will take anything in order to pay their bills or eat; 2) Creates an environment where production companies know they can offer the bare minimum for certain roles because they know someone is going to say ‘yes’ to it.
My ultimate vision with this program is that it will change both of those things, and for us to finally be able to say, ‘and that’s a wrap on the starving artist’”.
For More info on THE WEALTHY ACTOR click HERE.
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