Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaclene Kleinfeld.
Jaclene, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m Jaclene, and most people call me Jaci. I was born and raised in Miami, went to Chicago for my university degree, and now I’m happy to say have I’ve come home. For most of my life I was an actor and a performer and now I am a producer. My mother is a grief counselor, and my father is best described as a lawyer, author, and teacher. They are loving parents and my best supporters. I have always been a storyteller. At an early age I started at a summer program with the Miami Shores Theatre. When I was going in to the sixth grade, the choreographer recommended me for the performing arts magnet program at Norland Middle School and then on to the theatre program at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School. I moved to Chicago and continued on to get my degree in Theatre from Roosevelt University. There I focused on acting and physical theater.
I stayed in Chicago to work and make my way as a stage actor. I started getting more hands on, creating shows with friends, managing and performing in our own productions. Simultaneously I was starting to get work on film for commercials and short films. The more work I got and learned from the more I realized I wanted to take charge in a bigger way. It hit me how important it is to tell the narrative you believe in because of how easily we can become subplots or overlooked all together. I was experiencing a valuable lesson that life is composed of layers of complexity. What we think of reality is very much dependent on perspective and context. And time. This understanding inspired me to empower myself and other writers to create stories that draw from their personal experiences.
It was while managing an immersive movement based live show I knew I should dive all the way in to producing. It was a quick manifestation because right after I decided what I wanted, I started working with a small production company in Chicago. I learned the ropes there on the job. Working is the best learning experience. Directing castings, production coordinating and camera assisting were my main hats to start. Eventually, I worked my way and became a producer with them. That eventually lead me to see how I could be producing independently, creating a thriving space for artists, crew, and production members.
That first job also opened the door for me to freelance with different production houses where I started like many of us do, as a production assistant. Over time I became a regular in several other departments as script supervisor, stylist & wardrobe and assistant director.
Simultaneously I started to produce on my own – art films, commercials, and music videos. I co-produced a documentary about a Dojo in downtown Chicago, it’s in the editing room now. I just wrapped a feature for which I was on the producing team and assistant director and I’m very exciting about it because it is a down to earth true to Miami story, shot in Miami with a Miami crew.
I’m fortunate to be able to keep my work ever-evolving and match the needs of the project. Some need developers or hands-on producers throughout and some need help in post-production.
The Coochie Conference (CC) is a discussion and support group I co-founded. The group started as a female-only space where we plan a topic and get everyone’s input. It began among a few close friends as we together realized that mainstream feminism to lack intersectionality. Forming CC arose from a sense of needing thoughtful support, the kind of support that only the feminine can provide. The idea is not to agree, but to understand. We want explore with as many other people as possible. We started in August of 2016, and we’ve had a meeting almost every month since. We kept it women-only for a long time to solidify our feminine foundation, and I’m happy to say we’ve opened the meetings to all genders because the diversity of perspectives is necessary to deepen our understandings.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Obstacles and hardships are to be expected to a certain degree along the way. I am learning how to work with resistance and learning to be unapologetically me through and through. It took me plenty of trial and error until I could enter a room with the confidence I have now. It takes a lot of unlearning conditioning and detaching from mindsets that don’t serve a higher purpose.
For the support group the challenges are showing up when you don’t feel powerful. But that’s when you need the support the most, so it works out no matter what.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a producer who specializes in storytelling. I have my hand on the pulse of the subject matter. My involvement is to actualize the ideas pragmatically while honoring the truth of the story. Yes, there is a certain amount of chaos to be expected while in preparation and production, but always keeping the truth of the story in mind – that’s the glue. When it comes to the material I’m not familiar with my curiosity and open-mindedness lead the way. I love to learn, collaborate, and strategize. The business I’m in is ever-evolving because I can land on any side of the production field – story-writing, brand development, pre through post-production. There is no cookie-cutter format; a project is identified by its needs.
In the CC meetings, it’s similar to my work in that I hold space for authenticity. It started in Chicago and it has brought me so much joy to now have a chapter at home in Miami. We have a code of respect to honor anyone in the room and their lives they carry out in the world. In our meetings, there is a deep sense of vulnerable listening, supporting and learning in real-time. Because of the willingness of people opening up in the meetings, we make sure nothing is recorded. The only exception was when a meeting was featured in the Netflix show, Easy. And more recently we utilized social media for the first time to connect with people during the COVID-19 quarantine. CC is for any lifestyle and any age. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but we make sure it isn’t only the extroverted people who are heard. We are solution-based, meaning once we’ve discussed and understood a problem, we want to move on to finding solution-perspectives. While we definitely can delve into some heavy topics, we always have so much fun and it can actually feel celebratory. It’s simple but uncovering radical truths. We have chapters in Miami, Chicago and the Bay.
What is “success” or “successful” for you
A definite success is having a client happy with their process and final product. In all endeavors, I look for moments of people opening up their perspectives, which becomes a helpful marker for an accomplishment. In general, I think success is forging a path that doesn’t compete with any other lanes’ time frame. If you’ve carved out your lane and committed to your tranquility – that is a success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 910 W 19th St Apt 2
- Website: http://www.jaclenekleinfeld.com/ , http://www.coochieconference.com/
- Phone: 3057753042
- Email: jaclenekleinfeld@gmail.com
- Instagram: @_jaclene
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