Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Jones.
Annie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started acting by accident seven years ago while I was working for the Miami International Film Festival and Miami Book Fair. Working with students, I meet a student filmmaker who needed my “type” for a short film project. That was all I needed to get entranced with acting. Since then I went on to perform in theater productions and over 30 independent and student film projects as well as working as a professional actress for commercials and as an extra for Hollywood feature films. It wasn’t enough, so I began to produce my own YouTube Channel, Indie Annie Jones, which was an amalgamation of everything I love to do: Cosplay, Cooking, Crafting and sometimes Cocktails. Having made many friends in film, I am blessed to work with professional cinematographers and filmmakers in addition to casting some of the best actors in South Florida! The objective of the channel is to really have fun and to stretch our creativity as we parody famous and beloved TV shows and movies. I produce the episodes, cast, select crew as well as create costumes, sets, and props. It really is a labor of love as my home is the production studio and all who enter are soon welcomed like family! Since 2015, Indie Annie Jones has been featured in at least 15 different local and national film festivals. I have also personally been awarded best actress for local indie film projects.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The most difficult obstacles I have encountered is money and time. Having a low budget, I find myself also catering each of my episode productions which I might add is an added benefit to cast and crew! I don’t make any revenue on my episodes or my channel. However, the friendships and collaborations I have developed from these productions are priceless.
Time is also difficult to manage as I have to create these episodes based on availability of my cast and crew on the weekends. This is why I strive to make the process a fun and enjoyable one for all involved. It also helps when participants get the word out on how much fun the process was and others contact me to be part of the action!
Please tell us about Indie Annie Jones Web series.
Indie Annie Jones is all about Cosplay, Crafting and Cooking with a sense of fun and adventure while celebrating Fan Favorite movies and TV shows. It’s geek culture at it’s best with a little DIY and we call this edutainment! I am known for my homemade costumes, sets and involving others in the fun. I speak at comic book conventions often and love to meet young people who are starting their own YouTube channels. I try to teach about online safety and how to best channel creativity in a fun, productive manner. Collaborating with other local artists, actors, cosplayers, and crafters are my specialty because anything shared is twice the fun!
What sets me apart from other DIY YouTubers is my dedication to fans and to the art of cosplay. It’s crafting with a twist!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have started earlier maybe ten years with the onset of YouTube itself. There were more opportunities to differentiate oneself and to grasp an emerging market audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/c/indieanniejones1
- Phone: 7865142662
- Email: indieanniejones1@gmail.com
- Instagram: indieanniejones1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndieAnnieJones
- Twitter: indieanniejonez
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
