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

Jason, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

I was without an agent or manager for a long time. I would get little projects here and there and auditions that were pretty good. After I graduated The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I got a commercial agent. Back then I thought all agents/managers were good, so as soon as I got the offer to join. I jumped at it. Long story short it ended up not working out. I remembered there really was no interview or anything with that agency. I realized after that, finding someone to represent you, is like having a best friend, a parent, or a hype man working with you. So, when you do get that first meeting to see if it fits, I really had to ask myself, could I spend long periods of time with this person? Do they get me? Will they fight for me as hard as I will fight for me? Could they be my friend in a different life?
I answered yes to all of those with my current manager. Tonja at Citizen Skull Management, is “Mama Bear.” I found her doing what a lot of actors looking for managers do. I wrote a lot of very specifically catered emails to the managers/agents that I had researched. She like what I had going on and we scheduled a meeting. I picked her because she is passionate about this industry and about her clients. I picked her because she cares more about the quality of people than the quantity. She is protective of our rights as actors, she NEVER will make you do something you are uncomfortable with, and she always has kind word to say about everyone she meets. I picked her because she is “Mama Bear.” Sweet, kind, passionate, but don’t mess with her cubs.
I think she decided to work with me because I have veery specific goals, and I was already working on achieving those myself. I wasn’t waiting for the opportunity to come. I was making it, myself. I think what also did it was the fact that we both grew up a lot in the south, so we spoke the same language. In all honesty, I think she just knew how passionate and driven I was to do this.
We picked each other because we knew that as a team, as a unit, we would rise in this industry fast and with strength.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am originally from Miami, and I grew up a lot in the south because my brother is racecar driver. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a veterinarian, a chef, a this and a that. I could never lock it down, and then I saw Mythbusters for the first time. That made me want to do special effects, but I could never master the science. Even though I’m pretty sure I could figure out how to crash a car or make a bottle rocket chair.
I wanted to do everything, not just one single job.
I love watching movies and I love pirates. When pirates of Caribbean came out, and I saw Jack Sparrow for the first time, I knew I wanted to act. I had to do it. I had to make characters like that. So when I was a junior in highschool I got my first role as King Duncan in Macbeth. It was a little walk on role, but it changed my life. I was so nervous before I walked on stage, but as soon as the lights went down and I walked on stage, I knew acting was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After doing five plays in highschool, I had to look at some colleges with good acting programs. I started applications to nine school but I only finished one and got accepted.
In 2013 I started my program at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It is a fantastic school, with an even better classical education for acting. I met so many wonderful actors who because writers, most of which are still my friends to this day.
I have had the absolute pleasure to work on countless projects over the years and all of them have a special place in my heart. The goal I have for this industry, myself, and my team is to create quality “ART,” not content. I wanted to make films that inspire people, whether that means inspiration to help someone, inspiration to do better for themselves, or even inspire them to fight swords in the backyard with their best friend. I want people to look at the screen like I did, and say “That is my thing. THAT is what I will do.”
If I had a brand, I think it is best described from the subject line of the manager/agent emails i sent. I described myself as the “Bromance baby of Ron Swanson and Jason Momoa.” To this day, I think that is the most accurate way I have EVER described myself.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn this strange idea that I got from going to a prestigious acting school. When I left the academy I had a horrible chip on my shoulder. I’m not sure where it came from, but it was definitely there. I thought that Just because I went to this conservatory that jobs would just fly right to me. I would be handed acting roles. That turned out to be very untrue. First I had to eliminate my ego, and secondly I had to stop being lazy. I had and have to continue to work hard everyday to improve and I have to remember that I have to do just as much work as my manager and twice as much work as my fellow actors. No matter how hard you work, there is always someone working harder.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is fairly simple. I want to inspire anyone who is broken, lost, hopeless, lonely, or has any type of self doubt. I want to give people a reason to get out of the house and go see a movie. I want my films to be the reason someone gets inspired to work out, take a martial art, learn to use a camera. I want anyone who doesn’t have a creative outlet to feel like they to have an escape.
I want people to feel how I feel when I see a great movie, motivated and hopeful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjasoncoulter/
• Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/JasonCoulter

Image Credits

Luke Fontana