Today we’d like to introduce you to Shonnie Jackson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up an only child and as a kid, I was always in and out of the hospital due to Sickle Cell Disease. So, I had plenty of time to myself, using my imagination or TV (and films) to entertain myself. I guess I was trying to escape the pain I was feeling by imagining I was someone else, somewhere else, doing something else and those stories in my head forced themselves out through writing or playing with my black Barbie Dolls. Sometimes, I would even put on sketches and plays with my cousins and my neighborhood friends. But as I grew up, I stopped going to those worlds I’d created. It wasn’t until high school at Dade Christian when it was re-ignited. I was in Honors English and my teacher, Mrs. Patrice Brown, had us read “The House on Mango Street” and then write our own vignettes. That project was the first time I felt free to write all day since I was a kid and when it was done, Mrs. Brown suggested that I should publish it. Then, senior year, my history teacher, Mr. Farmer, assigned a project that would awaken my sense of visual storytelling.
Long story short, I knew that I wanted to write/create scripted television… I just didn’t know-how. My first two years of college at Florida International University, I was a nursing major hating life because I knew this was not my calling and the thought of being in a hospital every day of my life petrified me, given my childhood experiences.
Through the encouragement of one of my dearest friends, Kierra Haywood, I ended up switching majors to Journalism & Broadcast Media because it was a form of storytelling and the closest I could get to doing what I actually wanted to do, without transferring to UM or somewhere. That’s when life started to get better when I started to begin to feel satisfied, but I was striving for satisfaction. I’m striving for happiness. Another good friend of mine, Antonay Wright, was watching web series on YouTube and asked me why I wasn’t making my own show. She planted the seed and a few months later, my friend Jonathan “Young D” Joseph and I co-created “The Put Down”. By now, I knew I had to go to film school and by the grace of God, got accepted into the nation’s number one film program, USC School of Cinematic Arts. Between working on “The Put Down” and being in LA surrounded by other brilliant storytellers, I finally felt at home with myself. Like I was achieving what I was put on this earth to do and taking the much-needed steps to get there. I personally can’t wait to see what else God has in store for me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Definitely not smooth, lol. In fact, it’s been quite painful, whether it’s physical pain, emotional pain or just damn growing pains. There was one week during season one of TPDWS in particular where I just wanted to say “fuck it” and quit. Literally EVERYTHING was going wrong. My ankle was broken, multiple actors were trying to reschedule shoots, someone dropped out from a supporting role, the building we were supposed to shoot in CAUGHT ON FIRE and worse of all… I cried. But something told me to not give up so I wiped my face, grabbed my crutches and figured it out. Thank God for Jesus, lol.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from others?
I’m a visual storyteller and I tell stories through screenwriting and directing. As of now, I’m most known for “The Put Down” Web Series which I co-created, wrote, produced and directed. I think my voice sets me apart from others. Unfortunately, when people think of Miami, they don’t think of the rich, black culture here from all aspects of the diaspora. I believe my voice, along with other storytellers from Miami, is going to help change that perception and perhaps even help change the world.
Is there a quality or characteristic that has played an outsized role in your success?
Discipline and my faith in God. If I didn’t have the discipline to work my butt off and my faith to get me out of bed every day and do it again, I would have quit a long time ago. Or worse, I would have never started and would be that nurse with poor bedside manner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shonniejackson.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she_sumthin_else/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WatchTPDWS/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shesomthinelse
- Other: https://youtu.be/dDMsxVSVa0I
Image Credit:
Photos taken by Ned Chandler and Jerome “Juice” Williams
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