We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alice Jean a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alice, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?

So, for those who may not know, I’m repped with TCG Artist Management, I’m under Ellis Holt’s books, and I couldn’t be happier. So to take you back, i signed with Ellis at the very end of 2021. I was first introduced to Kristin, who’s also an amazing agent, through Charlie, the owner of Run At It Shouting. I attended a few workshops, and he sort’ve took me under his wing. He’s also apart of the TCG family, and he was kind enough to put a word in for me. Ellis had an opening in her books, we set up a meeting and it was up from there.

I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about my experience with TCG. They really are a great agency to be apart off. Ellis and Charlie (there’s an agent called Charlie too) are phenomenal to work with. They are so understanding and supportive. They really care about us all as artists and I’m so grateful to call them my agency.

Alice, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So, I’m Alice Jean! I’m an actress and a storyteller. I began acting when I was very young, and decided to really go for it when I was in school. I took drama for GCSE’s and A-Levels and I always made sure to do my very best. From there I flew to LA to pursue my BFA in Acting, then once I finished with my training I began working.

Getting my bachelors in a film school that championed kind of an all round filmmaker, was the possibly the best choice I could’ve made as a budding storyteller. That’s when I stopped looking at myself as just an actress and saw my potential to write too. Then the more I worked with my friends on our own projects, i genuinely began to even consider directing. Then it was “oh! I have a story. I have a lot of stories within me.”

I’m most proud of never giving up on myself. That may sound cliche but it’s harder than some may think, to keep pushing even when you can’t see the outcome yet. I pushed through that degree when I felt like I had nothing else left within me to push, I pushed through the LA market and was able to make a living with acting. I moved back to London, and was able to push through the rough patch of restarting my network and growth again. I pushed.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pandemic.

I will be 100 percent honest, um, I really struggled in the pandemic. I went through a dark depression at the very early stages. In January 2020, my hand suffered an injury at an event. I tore all my nerves, and the two main tendons in my middle right finger. Because of the scarring and the manner in which the incident occurred, this had a significant impact on my mental health and confidence. At the same time, I caught covid while recovering from my hand injury, which left me physically and mentally exhausted because I wasn’t sure whether I could regain full use of my hand, and my body was ready to give in. Those were some of my darkest days so far.

So thank Jesus, I recovered. However, everything had shut down. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I spent a lot of 2020 crying myself to sleep. 2021, I didn’t know when the world would open up again, and how much work i’d make as an artist to support myself. Bear in mind, in acting and drama school you’re sort of raised with this mentality of like you live and breathe the arts, and artistry is your very being. I felt like I had nothing to offer the world.

So from there, I was looking for something else to do, not only to keep my mind busy but to also look after myself. I was praying for a silver lining and Jesus really came through, because shortly after, I fell into tech. I fell into the tech world and began working in operations, and it was the best thing ever. Not only did I remind myself that i’m still me regardless of what work i’m doing as it doesn’t define me, I also saw myself thrive in another profession which I never really thought I could do. I got to live out my fantasy of a boujie London office job, and I really loved it. It took the pressure off, it took the edge off and I could feel like everything would be okay again. Then it was back to the arts.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

So, I mentioned Charlie earlier, the owner of Run At It Shouting. Now, with RAIS, I actually wish Charlie had created this hub sooner. I owe a massive thank you to Charlie, not only for helping me find my agent but for literally taking me under his wing. He hired me to be one of his facilitators as well after I signed with my agent which was another massive blessing.

Being a RAIS facilitator has not only helped me expand my network massively by meeting so many talented actors, casting directors, directors and so on, but it’s given me a creative home here. I remember moving back to London, and not knowing where to begin, and then this all fell into place. It was just what I needed, and I’ll forever be grateful.

Contact Info:

• Other: Now usually I’d have several links to share but I’m taking a social media break. However, you can usually find me by searching Alice Jean, to see what i’m up to next!

Image Credits
YellowBelly Photos