We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Ellis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It honestly felt like a very natural step in my career path. I worked at CAA, Entertainment 360 and then MarVista Entertainment. I always enjoyed being a representative and then my experience at MarVista helped affirm my passion to produce and flex more of a creative muscle, which led me to deciding to launch my own company Eclipse Management & Entertainment. There of course was a bit of a fear factor when I was deciding to go off on my own, but I remember looking at my wife and she even told me that I knew what I was doing and sometimes you have to bet on yourself to move your career forward, which is exactly what I did. It’s been 5 years now and so far so good!

What should our readers know about your business?
My entire career leading up to launching my own company was in corporate. The biggest thing I learned by working in a corporate setting is that you alone cannot change a large moving ship. They may hear your suggestions and ideas, but they will only implement those suggestions and ideas on their timeframe. Which could be months to years and that creates a lot of frustration. That is truly why I decided to launch my own company and to make sure that I can always be flexible, pay attention to what is coming next in the entertainment industry, and to not be stuck in my own ways. That to me is the biggest issue with a lot of companies, trying something new is “scary.” I have pride myself to make sure Eclipse Management & Entertainment will never feel stagnant. I decided that all my clients (a) have to be good people. I do not understand working and representing people who are terrible or rude, and then rewarding them for being terrible. That must change. And (b) all my clients are current or aspiring multi-hyphenates. Meaning actor-producer, director-writer, etc. In today’s climate you have to operate in many revenue streams, so I encourage all of my clients to do the same.

With all of that said, I learned a lot from my past experiences at CAA, Entertainment 360 and MarVista Entertainment. Opportunities I wouldn’t have been able to experience if I was first a part of a smaller company. Coming from those top-tier firms has benefited me in having the courage to venture off on my own because I was a part of what I believe I can achieve in my own venture. And, I think that’s for every past job you’ve had. You hold on to the good things you’ve learned, you question the bad things that you would want to be different, and then you apply all of that to whatever is next in your career path.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If it’s their very first time ever visiting Los Angeles, you do have to bring them to some of the classic tourist locations: Griffith Observatory, LA Zoo, LACMA, Rodeo Drive and the TCL Chinese Theatre. I will say, to give a friend the best insight of the entertainment industry, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is one of the best tours to do that. It gives a very good in depth look on what Hollywood is all about and Warners has the largest active studio to explore. Also, an underrated museum that is spectacular is the Petersen Automotive Museum. I am not a car person but the Petersen makes you one, plus Los Angeles is a car city.

For food: Rosaline in WeHo for paella and ceviche, NBC Seafood Restaurant in Monterey Park for real dim sum, Jjukku Jjukku BBQ in K-town to show them what Korean BBQ is all about, Sugarfish feels like an essential LA stop for sushi or Sushi Katsu-ya but only the one in Studio City, any of the Bacari locations, and it’s between Salsa & Beer and Casa Vega for super tasty Mexican food.

Other fun places to go are any of the comedy spots: UCB, Comedy Store, Laugh Factory and Groundlings. LA has some of the best comedy in the world that has an amazing mix of aspiring and established comedians. Very rarely have I gone to a show and been disappointed. I’m also a big Halloween person so a trip to Halloween Town in Burbank is a must!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would shoutout both my mom and my wife. My mom launched her own business when I was a kid and ran it for over 15 years so she gave me a great outlook on what it takes and means to be an entrepreneur. My wife is the one to always give me encouragement and kick my butt at the same time, which you need when you’re launching your own business!

Website: https://eclipse-la.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelliseclipse/

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