Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to JACQUELINE KING-HOWELL. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi JACQUELINE, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Growing up in Barbados, my mom started me in dance school around the age of 6. I just remembered how familiar and at home the dance studio always felt. I also remember the high I got whenever we performed. My older sister and I also had a voracious appetite for reading as growing up in Bim (as we Bajans call it), you read and/or were outdoors. Reading allowed me to escape to the most amazing places, meet folks that I admired, loved, and/or were ready to go to battle with. It also allowed me to escape into these incredible make believe, fairytale worlds, and believe in all things fanciful… all things magical. Those books and that studio cemented creativity in me. I knew that somewhere, there was a space for me to explore an artistry that would allow others to get the joy I felt/feel from the aforementioned spaces, and allow me to grow and find a home in this path I had chosen. Then reality hit, and college/making “real” money came. Fast forward, my mom (in some sense) unexpectedly died and I fell into a vacuum. I started writing a journal as a way to deal with my grief and it turned out to be the starting catharsis I needed. I stepped outside of what had become a comfort zone and reengaged my artistic tool. I auditioned, I studied, I was cast, I performed, and I continued journaling; especially when the sadness came.
Then, per a nudge/push/shove from a friend, that journaling became a script, and that script became my first short film aptly named after my mom. The script, Judy’s Child, proved to not only make my grief easier to navigate, but it was a reminder of what I love, where I was, and where I could possibly to go. And with that certainty, I dove all the way in.

JACQUELINE, 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?

I studied dramatic arts in college and upon graduation, while still in entertainment, took a detour to the world of publishing, then tv, and also arena/events. It wasn’t until my mom’s passing that I got the balls to go after what I’ve always dreamt of.
One day I flew myself out to Miami, armed with nothing but a regular pic… zero headshot or resume… and auditioned for a Jim Carrey film called I Love You Phillip Morris. After making it all the way to auditioning for directors, they decided to go in another director for the role (lawyer). However, I just knew that role was mine so I claimed/prayed/manifested and approx 2 weeks later, they called me back and offered me the role. To say I was green would be an understatement. I was scared as hell but also in awe. My own tiny trailer but you couldn’t tell me nothing, it was amazing to me! I remember being in HMU and one of the ladies asked me to hang tight while they worked on another actor. As I’m moving over, the actor comes in, says hi to everyone, then turns to me and says, “Hi, I’m Jim.” I legit wanted to scream (in a giddy way) I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! YOU’RE JIM CARREY! OMG! lol. I pulled from the school of Judy (my mom) and simply returned his greeting and introduced myself. I, of course, then went back to my trailer and called my family, acting like a loon, cause I met Jim Carrey. That set, the people, the crew… were all a great beginning for me. Jim was awesome, he even had me come and sit with him to watch the playback after our scene (which ended up on the cutting room floor but hey, hollywood! lol). Sitting with him and the directors (Glenn Ficarra and John Requa), watching the scene, relieved I apparently didn’t F up, was a definite pinch me moment. Even after I wrapped and sent thank you notes to the director, I couldn’t believe that they took the time to respond and thank me for being a part of their project. With that film, I became SAG eligible and I just knew that I would be guest-starring/starring in all the things. So I worked on my craft: classes, schools, pay-to-play auditions (yes, I know), networking, etc etc etc. And while I got things here and there, nothing major. After awhile, it wears you down and I think, coupled with my mom’s passing, I got tired of begging to be let in; so when I got that nudge to turn my thoughts into a script, and into a film, it was some of that tiredness pushing back like, I’ll give myself work. Crazy thing? I fell in love with writing and subsequently directing. Amassing a team that works equally WITH you to bring your words to life is like no other high; not even opening night theatre and that in itself is a rush! That first film, Judy’s Child (my mom’s shortened name was/is Judy) was frustrating, exhilarating, HARD, but so rewarding. I’m so thankful for those who believed in my first film (eved those who opt in, then out), in me, in my vision. We didn’t just talk about it, we created something we are damn proud of. That film was selected by several film festivals, made American Black Film Festival’s top 20 list and subsequently was (probably still is) shown on Xfinity/comcast, and licensed by several platforms like Amazon. From there, I was off! My next film White Pickett Fence did so incredibly well from the Toronto Black Film Festival to the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. That film coupled with Judy’s Child and my following project In Fear For My Life, can be seen as an anthology on Tubi. Those films have won awards, been selected for several prestigious festivals (BESLA, Diversity in Cannes, Raindance NY Shorts, etc.), and have opened the door to other opportunities. One such opportunity has been with Sesame Street since 2017. Through my production company (started with my husband), we’ve worked with Sesame on several segments and have just recently wrapped our 5th project with them. Another, has been working on a documentary for my alma mater regarding the first Black men at a private institution during and directly after slavery. Currently, we are in pre-production with 300 Studios to produced and shoot our narrative feature, a rom-dramedy called Destination Wedding; a project I wrote and will be directing. And we are gearing up to present a live stage reading of our futuristic thriller The Organization. Written by myself, the script is an official selection by the Essence Film Festival and will be showcased during their annual Essence Festival this year.
With my brand (which is myself and my company Judy’s Child, LLC), I/we are all about uniqueness. No one has my voice; I tell stories from the space of Jacqueline. I understand the importance of the uniqueness of self. I also know that I’m a storyteller, I tell stories of any genre but I also realize that if want some stories to be authentic, there are times the experiences and perspectives of others have to be sought. What’s surprising to some is that storytelling is as much listening to the story as it is telling it.
And for me, I’m so proud that 1. I’m making my mom, who was my BIGGEST cheerleader so happy, and 2. knowing that this little girl from Bim, though she encountered some detours, NEVER stopped dreaming. Even when the how seemed so insurmountable, I kept going back to what my mom always said to us, THE ONLY THING THAT BEATS A FAILURE IS A TRY. So try I must and try I will.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Oh that’s an easy one. Working on a film that I believed in and most everyone didn’t think it was a good idea to make it. From getting the funding to production days of exterior shots on one of the coldest days on the East coast, to a post that seem never-ending even in the hands of one of the best editors I’ve worked with… this film was a labor of love tinged heavily with frustration. Add to that, having to get addl shots, well after we wrapped, so the story could flow and post that took almost a year, and whew! Yet, I kept going and not from stubbornness, as listening is key to most collaborative works, but because I believed in what my gut was telling me. That I needed to push forward with this project. Submitting to festivals, only deepened the hole as the NOs just kept coming. However, I believed in this film and regardless of it being recognized or not, I’m proud I told it as it dealt with issues consistently faced by my community and the constant screaming into the wind we have to endure as no one ever seems to hear us. Then, 3 major festivals that I had. never gotten into before, said yes. And not only did they select our film, we were nominated for awards, were staff picks, finalists, and even received a call from one of the voting members on how deeply our film touched them. For me, it wasn’t the accolades that came but knowing that my gut didn’t fail me and that our work to shine a deserved light on the brutality and injustice facing our community, was heard AND seen.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My fear of leaving this world in a whisper. I watched so many around me have dreams, goals, desires and kept pushing them off and never got to even try. For me, my trying is my doing. I know what I would like my end-goal to be but as I have no control over that… or at least to a point… what’s within my power is to just do the work, as cheesy and eye-rolling as that sounds. There are days when I simply don’t have that “get up and go”, when I wonder, “why bother? it’s never gonna happen for me”. Days when I just feel so overwhelmed by the trying and I get caught up in the whens, the hows… but I have my mom in my “ear”, an AMAZING village who go above and beyond, a little girl who watches me and soaks it all up like a sponge, a husband who unwaveringly knows that it’s all within my reach, and me. I have me, who takes the moments to have me time, sad time, but then she/I shake it off and go again and each time, I get a little closer. Every time, I look back and see how far I’ve come and I’m prou.d. Plus, I’m Judy’s Child and she would have it no other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.JudysChildLLC.com
• Instagram: JUDYSCHILDLLC
• Other: https://link.tubi.tv/SLXeWA8ILDb
  https://www.tubitv.com/movies/100010398/betrayal-fear-love-anthology

Image Credits

Jay Williams
Toronto Black Film Festival
MPAC Speaker Series
Run & Shoot Filmworks