We caught up with the brilliant and insightful C.J. Riggs a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, C.J. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
No problem, it’s been a pleasure working with you and being able to tell my story further. The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is “JADE 2”. I didn’t know the first “JADE” would be received so well amongst friends and family. People were sharing it with their family and friends so much that it felt right to create a sequel. I waited a couple months just searching for inspiration. And one day, it just came to me. I wrote “JADE 2” over the course of three or four days. I read it like twice and then fixed a few bugs. Then, I sent it to to my girlfriend, Regina Bryant and she said “You have to let me direct this!”. That’s when I knew I had something special. I sent it to a brother of mine, Madison Upendo and he really wanted to produce it. At this point, I’m more excited than I’ve ever been for a project. We had a few challenges along the way, switching dates around due to other people’s availability/weather, casting additional members to the team, and even crew too. But what made it the most meaningful was how we overcame any/every obstacle that came our way. We were forced to change locations in the middle of filming a scene, and everybody panicked. Regina picked out another location in such short notice and I began to re-write the last few pages on spot because it changed the dynamic of the story almost. All the actors were on board with it and they nailed it! I had never seen such team work like that before given a hard bit of circumstances. After the editing process was done, I watched it thinking, “Man they have no idea what we got coming for them.”
C.J. , 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?
Of course, my name is C.J. Riggs and I am an actor, writer, and producer in the Atlanta area. I am represented by Mattie Management, East Coast Talent Agency in Atlanta, and CESD Talent Agency commercially in LA. As far as writing goes, I prefer to work in house amongst myself and my team. I’m not opposed to working with others at all. I welcome the idea of being in a writers room for a web-series or new media project. My purpose or inspiration for writing is to evoke conversation. I surf social media a lot to see what dialogue people are discussing/forming. “What’s trending and why?” if you will. For awhile now, the topics have been mental health and relationships. That inspired the “JADE” series and I intend to go back to it for a third installment to explore those topics even further. I’m most proud when my work inspires conversation, questions, and different perspectives about mental health issues within the characters while also being interested in what happens next in the story. My biggest goal is to own a production company that dedicates its time to build stories around conversational topics existing in our generation, community, schools, so that others can continue to grow, learn, and see themselves in important stories. People who feel seen aren’t afraid to change or inspire it.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Oh, absolutely! I wish I knew about Wendy Wright’s “Talent Managers & Agents for Actors” Facebook page earlier in my career. This page is monumental for any actor/performer. Wendy Wright gives us an incredible amount of advice, recommendations, and encouragement daily. She also gives us opportunities to connect/network with different agents and managers who may have open slots on their roster. Thanks to this large network of different artists, we can contribute our knowledge, experiences, and even monologue performances. I felt like being involved in that community earlier in my life would not only have helped me get better as an artist but also learned the “Do’s and Don’ts” of the industry.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I have 3 main goals driving my creative journey right now. I’d love to be cast as a series regular for a new or existing pilot. I can just imagine the creative joys and challenges of creating a character that lasts for a longer period of time. We’re still in the era binging and it would be an incredible experience to see what conversations fans are having based on the writing, the cast’s chemistry, and performance. The second main goal would definitely be writing and producing an animated series. I may not have all the resources for it yet but I’m definitely networking my way through it. The last one is owning my own production company. Creating stories everyday with an in house team and finding more talent everyday would be a dream come true for myself and my family. I’m willing to do what it takes to making it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cjriggs.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/205_prince/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjriggsjr14
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/205_prince
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEyhRl88oylenUVfAguUrw
- Other: “JADE” the Film Series: https://linktr.ee/jadethefilmseries?fbclid=PAAaae0EzjEedZBstpJvlPMpWmO79olmykSmblGQcTX2SC-KAf5vFYR34rgD8
Image Credits
InFocus Photography Prime Video Regina Bryant