We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamie Perdue. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamie below.

Hi Jamie , thanks for joining us today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

Let me start by saying, I feel so honored to be invited to answer this panel discussion presented by CanvasRebel, and give back freely the knowledge that I’ve received. Thank you to the entire editorial staff at CanvasRebel for wanting to equip others in the world who may be seeking these answers. To artists and creatives at any phase of their career, signing with an agent or representation team is a very desired step within the artist’s dream journey. However, what I’ve found to be true in my own personal experience considering partnering with representation is; how do you handle the dilemma of, “don’t call us, we’ll call you?” that many new and upcoming artists are met with when hoping to acquire representation? Hollywood has a reputation of being very tight-lipped when it comes to what I like to call, “the back office of Hollywood”, that is; your agents, managers, entertainment attorneys, publicists, and other representatives, opening their doors to take a chance on newly-revealed, talented individuals. In my own journey,

I found it very helpful while creating without representation, to continually seek The Will of God, and keep faith that, at the right time, when it is meant for me to be represented, God will make the connection. This is always helpful because, one can then ensure they are not allowing a connection to form from a place of desperation only in exchange to be able to say, “I’m represented by such and such agency…”. Sure, I also at the beginning stages of my journey hoped for an agent or manager within Hollywood, because it was almost “the thing to grasp for”, for the sake of how seriously people would view you as a professional within this industry, but I soon let go of that cursory, man-made perspective, and became very intentional about walking by faith instead, that is – trusting God to reveal to me the divine representation chosen for each step of my journey, at the right time, that God ultimately called me to.

Why after all would God give you a deep, inner-knowing of what you should be doing i.e. singing, dancing, writing scripts, producing films, help save lives etc., and not supply you with the tools, you need at the right time, to accomplish what you’ve been called to do? Of course God will! (This is why though, it’s sooooo important to know what God is calling you to do!) So, I surrendered my timeline to that of God’s; and a few seasons later, in walked Sheila McPherson, who I had the honor of speaking with during a business meeting, a few seasons in on development of a feature film. Sheila is great! ‘Til this day, I’m still in awe and constant gratitude of how the opportunity aligned to be represented by a person of Sheila McPherson’s integrity, caliber, and dedication to show business and the human experience equally. I speak from my own personal experience when I share that; yes you should keep seeking, knocking and asking, when it comes to getting your name represented in those back offices of Hollywood, but even better… Trust God to reveal to you in due time, what is already yours… Just keep walking in faith!

Jamie , 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’m grateful to God to have been mentored by some of Hollywood’s most influential and impactful changemakers. From Roger Birnbaum (Rush Hour 1,2, & 3, Memoirs of a Geisha, Bruce Almighty), Chris Kattan (SNL, Night at the Roxbury), John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, Baby Boy, Poetic Justice), Gina Prince-Bythewood (Woman King, Love & Basketball), to Ava DuVernay and Sanaa Lathan, I’ve had a special & uniquely-diverse range of Hollywood creators be a touch point in shaping my debut within Hollywood, whether from afar or traditional mentored oversight.

I’ve always been a storyteller! I began my journey to directing and producing, through the voyage of creative writing, which later became screenwriting. I’ve had the opportunity to speak in a previous interview recently, about how God gives us gifts and talents, and we know it’s a gift from God because it just comes so naturally, and flows. That was writing for me. At a very young age, I started writing what would literally become award-winning stories. I can’t say there were some magic steps I took to gain this type of inventiveness, but the beauty is; I do believe every single person has been given free gifts and talents, that ultimately will all achieve the same purpose; spread Love, Hope, and The Good News throughout the entire world!

That’s why gifts and talents are so special, because they make the same journey which connects us all – idiosyncratic! Though writing was literally a gift, directing and producing those stories became a talent; that through time and dedication, is always being honed into the excellence that is required to captivate the attention, and hearts, of audiences around the world.

In the early, developmental stages of “LOST”, an original motion picture currently in slate for production; I remember going back and forth, wrestling with the idea whether or not now was the time to direct such a Masterpiece of a story. In the midst of my uncertainty, my mother called.. [Thank God for mothers/mother figures!] I shared with her how I was vacillating between whether or not it should be directed by me, or released to another. I’ll never forget, my mom spoke to me in that tone, you know the tone, I believe all mother’s have, “Nobody else can tell this story better than you. It’s your story to tell!” In that moment, I accepted the invitation of thought, and later accepted the calling to directorship, when my talent reps agreed to champion the production of “LOST”, with me as director. All in all, I don’t think I would’ve been entrusted to currently be in development on a directorial debut, had they not fallen in love with the script in the way they did. This is why using the gifts God has given us, according to their divine purposes, will always be a piece of heaven on earth, allowing miracles to flow through and without to those around us. “LOST” is definitely a piece of heaven on earth…

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Tell better stories. “There is nothing new under the sun”, is a beautiful, Proverbial reference from one of the wisest men to have ever lived; King Solomon. I believe storytellers, entertainment creatives, and artists of all sorts and kinds are able to color upon blank canvases, both literally and figuratively, to communicate either how we see the world, or how we wish the world would be. I believe when we [as a societal whole] begin taking responsibility for the scripts in our own lives it 1. helps to make the world a more beautiful place and 2. ensures the stories being told by creatives are evolving and therefore reflecting imageries of a healing, hopeful world. Practically this looks like, healing within our own families and areas of influence, apologizing and/or forgiving when necessary, loving deeper, discovering truth and faith in God, and just being a better me and you. This creates beautiful stories of resilience and redemption, and ensures that the art of storytelling reflects a truth of past, present and/or future which audiences around the world can love and enjoy as their own. Again, because “there is nothing new under the sun”, let us be proactive in making sure the stories which shall be told, will be powerfully beautiful and inspiring to others for eternal good…

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

My own resilience comes from God who believes in me… even at times when I was afraid or didn’t believe in myself. For example, there were times I could feel God calling me to higher, whether in my assignments, relationships, or my own identity. Sometimes as humans though, we get so comfortable in the way things are. Even if we know better is being presented, we’re afraid to sacrifice the comfortability of our rhythms. This is how we end up stuck in old patterns and ways of being.

There have been times I’ve tried in my humanity to say, “noooo Lord, I’m good right here!”, but deep in my Spirit I knew, if God is calling me higher it’s because higher exists, and deep within, we all really want to experience the highest possible versions of ourselves and surroundings. So, my resilience comes from partnership with God. There were days I was so hurt I just wanted to stay in bed all day… Or two, or three… Okay, four! Then, some strange phenomenon [insert satire here] would happen like.. The gardener would come by with the loud leaf blowers causing me to 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 get up and close the windows. Well, now that I’m up, out of bed, I might as well stretch. Since I’ve stretched, I could check the kitchen for my favorite food. And the cycle continued on until I was soon again laughing in joy, even stronger than before; now because of the newly acquired lessons and skills that needed to be picked up along The Way.

If we can remember that our ability to continue the journeys assigned to us, even after hard times, doesn’t rely completely on our own strength; we now receive the peace to rest; and to be restored. After rest and restoration though, it’s our responsibility to remember to get back up, and walk on in faith, and even joy, because our journeys are written by God. Keep walking in faith!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.conglomercy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodgodly

Image Credits

Joshua Anyasike,
Cedrisha “Jamie” Perdue