We were lucky to catch up with Jesse Robinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I had worked for a handful of other Los Angeles TV/Film production companies, in a variety of roles, from media sales to writing to directing and story producing. In a half-decade of working on productions for other companies, I came to the realization that I now possessed the knowledge and industry connections necessary to be able to launch a business of my own!

In March of 2023 I launched Shenandoah Studios, a Virginia-based production company (with an additional presence in Los Angeles and Atlanta) with a primary focus in unscripted television and documentary film. We are currently in production on our first documentary feature and unscripted lifestyle television series, both shooting in VA, with post production to take place in Los Angeles.

In the months after coming up with the idea for Shenandoah Studios, the hardest hurdles were simply getting everything up and running. From creating the LLC to sourcing a branding specialist to develop the studio’s logo and website, I found the administrative tasks to get the business started to be both challenging and validating. Until you are in the thick of it, you forget about the intricate components that help build out a production company such as language development for contracts and releases, acquisition of specific pieces of camera equipment and more.

Seeing our current projects in production and having a clear vision of the future are both extremely validating as a new business owner as well. Over the coming year we hope to complete and deliver these projects to audiences, develop future docs for production, and expand our creative staff.

Jesse, 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 am a producer who started out as an actor and comedian in DC and LA!

Having spent the last half decade working in television in Los Angeles, I story-produced an ARTAS-nominated series for Crackle with Get Me Out Productions, and served as a writer-producer for two branded lifestyle series that aired weekly on CBS affiliates. I have also written and produced several short/feature length projects in partnership with the Los Angeles Young Actors Camp program.

As a SAG-AFTRA actor, I’ve been lucky to have appeared on Netflix, ABC/ESPN, Apple TV+, CBS and Discovery+, and have national commercial credits for Geico, Buffalo Wild Wings and Bethesda Games. Some fun facts: I was Christian Bale’s body double during the star’s Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Dick Cheney in “Vice”, and was the stand-in for Big Beard in Hulu’s “Predator: Prey” film.
In stand up comedy, I got to play L.A. venues like the Comedy Store and HaHa Club, featuring for Damon Wayans Jr., Jeff Garlin, Mindy Rickles and more.

In addition to producing and acting, I am also an adjunct Professor of Acting on the faculty of the Shenandoah University Conservatory in Virginia.

I think the culmination of all of these unique experiences have really prepared me for helming a business in entertainment. With so many moving pieces and hats required to be worn while running a production company, I couldn’t feel more prepared to lead Shenandoah Studios into the future of entertainment based on the rollercoaster ride I’ve been on so far!

Shenandoah Studios’ primary focus in year one will be completing production on our first feature-length documentary, “Almost Magic”, and creating compelling branded lifestyle segments for Virginia-based businesses which will air on network TV affiliates throughout the state as a part of a “Good Day, VA!” sponsored television series. We are also in the early stages of developing a streaming FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) Channels for stand-up comedy content and our lifestyle series.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the ability to be a storyteller for a living – whether that’s as an actor, telling the story of a character, or as an unscripted story producer, helping to tell the true to life accounts of individuals and business owners with something interesting to say!

As creatives we are conduits for all types of stories, so they may find a voice and be heard.

Your work as a creative can also be appreciated – it can be watched, listened to, discussed, debated and enjoyed. Not many other professions can tout that sort of gratification, no matter how big or small, or the sense that you are providing a group of people with something to feel and internalize.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is definitely a disconnect I’ve noticed between creatives and those who don’t necessarily come from a creative background (or at least don’t work as a creative professionally). Creatives often measure the success of a project by the effectiveness and emotional impact of the story or message being conveyed, whereas non-creative individuals, even those from within the entertainment industry, will often only measure the success of a creative project by what it brings in financially. A great acting performance or an evocative storyline can often get overshadowed by a project with higher box office returns.

Even in my journey as an actor, I’ve been asked how much I made on a certain streaming project way more than I’ve ever been asked about my actual performance in a project (good or bad!) It seems that money is, more often than not, the main measure of success from those outside of the creative world.

As a SAG-AFTRA member currently on-strike, I’ve been supplied with a lot of information and evidence of this disconnect between studio executives and the individuals who are actually creating the material. We see less and less unique, original ideas making their way to the screen, while studios pump out sequel after sequel, Marvel after Marvel and anything with ties to basic, existing IP.

This is another reason why I decided to start an independent production company right around the time the strikes began – if you want to create original material right now, you’ll need to do it independently. Independent projects can still work on SAG contracts that are not attached to a major studio and follow the Guild’s new contract requirements. Major studios are in the midst of a shaky financial reckoning, and are only going to re-work and re-use existing concepts that they know will benefit their bottom line. It will be interesting to see how long they are willing to let strikes drag on.

Contact Info:

• Website: ShenandoahStudios.tv | JesseRobinsonActs.com
• Instagram: @ShenandoahStudios | @TheJesseRobinson

Image Credits
Rafael Reyes, Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Noah Peterson/Shenandoah Studios, Megan Dotson/Mega Creative, Wyatt Grennan.