An Interview w/ Talent Agent Tiauna Jackson
There’s no question. Whether you’ve had the privilege of encountering Tiauna Jackson in-person or simply watch one of her Instagram videos, the one word that easily comes to mind is force. The passionate and tell-it-like-it-is talent agent speaks with a refreshing candor about what it takes to make it in Hollywood. She doesn’t take shortcuts and expects the same of her clients. I had the honor of picking her brain about her move to the East coast, changing times, and of course developing talent!
Many actors in Atlanta struggle with crossing that threshold into series regular roles or leads and consider moving to LA or NYC. How did you make the decision to expand your business to Atlanta (and will actors eventually need to make that move)?
I made the decision to expand into Atlanta because it was a market with quality productions. My job is to find opportunities for my clients and as a billion dollar industry it was a logical expansion.
You mention using “strategies within the digital realm to maximize [y]our client’s exposure.” Can you talk about that?
The beauty of the digital age is that now my clients can live anywhere in the world and audition for projects that aren’t available to them in their home state. By being an international agency, I receive every opportunity available to performers. I have clients with flexibility when it comes to travel and because of that flexibility they are able to book projects in other markets.
You are cited as the first known Black woman to franchise with WGA-West. What does that mean for writers looking for representation?
After the New York Times article, I was contacted by a lot of writers. At the time, I was not actively involved in that arena. I focused solely on on-camera performers. However, the stories of these writers were all the same, they were non-white writers with award winning scripts unable to obtain representation. It mirrored my attempts to work for other talent agencies. I know that feeling all too well. Being more than qualified to work in this industry but being shut out. I wanted to make sure that I was okay with the additional workload of now connecting with development executives, trying to open doors for my soon to be literary clients.
I am the only known Black woman that owns her agency outright with no additional partners to franchise with the WGA West. Then after speaking with several writers in Atlanta I found that there was no one in that market willing to work with writers based there, so I obtained a franchise in Atlanta, making me the first WGA franchise in that market.
How has that fact influenced a more non-traditional approach to your agency?
Working with writers has so many variables because there are so many genres and formats available now. I did take some meetings with executives at networks and found that despite diversity and inclusion being adopted in Hollywood, there still is an aversion to deviating from the norm. For instance, most top tier agencies are white owned. The thought of expanding inclusion to working with non-white owned agencies is still a foreign concept to these executives. I recently had a quick meeting with an executive at a self-described “premium cable network” and when that executive asked me “who I had” meaning what big names do you have, I rattled off my top clients and they responded with the quip, “that’s admirable of them to continue working with you, most would have moved on to bigger agencies.” Now this is the executive hired specifically for Diversity and Inclusion. It’s disconcerting that they would be anti-diversity and inclusion. My clients have proven time and time again that when given the opportunity to audition or produce a writing sample, they are hired.
How can actors take accountability for their careers while being signed with agents like you?
The first thing every actor should know is that they are the face of their brand. Whatever materials they gather, whether it be headshots, performance clips, their training, social media presence, resume, it all matters. Piss poor presentation will not yield results.
Secondly, actors must understand that the agent cannot be solely responsible for obtaining the auditions. The actor must be proactive as well. If the actor isn’t willing to work on getting opportunities for themselves, then they should not seek representation.
In your interview with Enspire Magazine, you mentioned consumers and how “they think because they see Chadwick, Tessa, Issa, and Lena on their tv screens that there has been a change. I can tell you right now that there has not been a change. My most recent lucrative bookings were by my Caucasian clients.” How do you combat this lack of progress with your work?
To date, getting my clients seen is the most challenging aspect of my career as an Agent. We’re in a business with a lot of people all chasing the same thing. The only thing that I can do is to continue to speak with casting directors and executives in an effort to find a forward thinking executive. Since entertainment is a business, predictably, most studios don’t want to take the risks associated with finding the next big thing from an unknown artist and an unknown agency. It doesn’t mean the talent isn’t there, we just have to work harder at moving outside of the traditional workflow.
You post many videos and helpful tips to actors on your social media handles. Have you always been a tough love kind of agent?
Yes. I’m a very honest person and I have an analytical and creative mind. To me, it’s better to tell the client what needs to be fixed or addressed and then show them why I’m saying what I’m saying. The biggest complaint potential clients have when they take a meeting with me is that they are looking to work with me because I respond. The industry has a very bad habit of ignoring talent. In my opinion, that’s not conducive toward getting the results we both want. However, if I educate a client about how the business works, give them tips on what they can do to help me help them and they still do not make an effort, then we’re no longer going to work together. My clients have to be proactive, or it just isn’t going to work.
You have already accomplished so much with so much on the horizon. What does self-care look like to you?
I’ll admit I don’t practice self-care. I know I’m supposed to, but I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. If I don’t produce opportunities my clients can’t pay their bills. I’m a provider for over 100 people. They depend upon me to make their dreams come true. That is not something I take lightly.
Tiauna Jackson, Twitter
How does talent (both writers and actors) get on your radar and how can up and coming talent contact you?
Most people contact me via email. I don’t spend much time scouting these days. I might post on social media that I am looking for something in particular and then it gets retweeted or the right person gets tagged. So thankfully the community spread the word for me.
I will admit that I have slowed down on developing new talent. I have over 40 clients right now in development, that takes time and resources and now that we’ve gotten approximately 10% of my agency working, it makes it harder to continue to guide brand new people. The truth is an artist should be seeking representation ONLY after they are completely solid and working on their own. I should not be approached when you have not taken headshots, have never had training, never booked speaking roles. The only artists who can do that are babies.
Conversely on the writer’s side, I’m looking for straight up and down writers. Writing is all they do and they have no less than 10 completed scripts and have won or placed in multiple reputable writing contests. We just cannot be competitive in business with mediocrity.
What kinds of training stick out to you on an Atlanta actor’s resume? Do you direct your SE clients to certain places?
The training I am looking for is Improvisation, Comedy, Meisner, Sketch, and Commercial. If an actor has a foreign language fluency, can cry on cue, and has a broadway level musical theater background, they get fast-tracked to a meeting.
The south east is still tricky because it’s still growing and a lot of the quality schools that we have in Los Angeles and New York haven’t expanded into that region yet, so it makes it difficult to assess which workshops in Atlanta are our go-to schools. I mainly recommend casting directors who are actively casting network television.
If you could advise one thing for actors or writers to have prepared before stepping into a meeting with you, what would it be?
A meeting with me is no different than any job interview you would have in the corporate world. You need to know your resume and not embellish your skills or your credits. I’m literally a private investigator when it comes to figuring out what is actually truthful and if I don’t catch in our meeting, I guarantee I’ll catch it when an audition comes in for you and you said you could speak Spanish, but now that you have a bonafide audition in Spanish you admit you really are only conversational. There was really no reason to lie to me about that.
What is your favorite creative content out right now that you feel is closest to being truly inclusive when it comes to POCs both in front of and behind the camera?
I cannot attest to behind the camera because I have a few clients who are skilled union members and often they are the only POCs on set. In my opinion, IATSE has not adopted diversity and inclusion yet. One of my favorite shows that I feel is very inclusive with respect to acting is a Netflix program called ‘3%.’ It’s not even an American show, and I see artists of all shades on that program. Black exists on every continent. Most programs, including Hispanic programs, tend to white-wash us out of stories.
