Meet Jenna Mahmoud-Bosco | Actress + Writer + Filmmaker + Compassionate Human

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenna Mahmoud-Bosco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenna, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been a creative kid and an old soul. I grew up around a theatrical family – my Grandmother was a dancer and my Grandfather was an actor. My family entertained all of my performance requests at family parties. They came to my school shows and recitals. In middle school the acting bug hit me hard. Acting was a way for me to express myself and be vulnerable, something that isn’t easy to do when you’re in middle school. Middle School was also significant because that’s when 9/11 happened. I grew up in the NYC area, and it wasn’t an easy time to be an Arab kid. I started questioning so many things. But performing was my release. A chance to be seen and heard. I knew I wanted to be a storyteller. I applied to one drama school and got in. I’ve often heard people say about showbiz – if you can see yourself doing anything else, do that! But I can’t see myself doing anything else. And if I could, I would do that and still act. We can do many things, why should we limit ourselves? An artist’s life is full of frustrations, little bouts of money, and a lot of Nos – but the highs are so wonderful. They remind me what it feels like to be alive. My artistic mission is to tell stories about women of color, marginalized communities and immigrants. I want more opportunities for women of color in general. We deserve to have our stories told in our full complexities. Representation is important and nothing fosters true empathy more than the arts. Storytelling is my purpose, and to ignore that urge would be to ignore the God in me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I remember getting dumped by a big talent agency when I was young and super green out of school. I felt devastated. Did I fail? But the truth was, I realized, they didn’t really know what to do with me as a mixed race person. I wasn’t right for any of the auditions I got, and that bothered me. This adversity led me to my next act – creating my own work. It finally dawned on me that I didn’t need anyone’s approval. When you reclaim your power, magic can happen. As an actor, so many factors are against you. You have little control over the outcome of your auditions for so many reasons. I was sick of waiting to be chosen, so I chose myself. I started writing and creating my own work. In 2013, I wrote a serialized webseries called “New Heights.” I was able to crowd fund $3,000 to produce 9 episodes that I wrote. I was proud of the story I had crafted, but outside of that I had no idea what I was doing. I linked with other creative spirits and made a whole series. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad – it was my vision come to life. To see a project through is a great achievement, no matter how big or small. I went on to do a season 2, which were more like four short films, which were more like four short films. I learned a ton about producing, location scouting, bringing people together and collaborating, compromising when things go wrong, and how to make your idea work. I believe in learning by doing and failing. If we don’t give ourselves permission to fail, we will never get better. every single artist I admire was once a beginner. I reminded myself of this a lot. These experiences led me to produce my first short film, “Baladi (My Country),” which is a fish out of water story based on my dad’s immigration story. We just won the audience award at Mosquers Film Festival in Canada. I heard a crowd of 2,000 people watch my little idea on the big screen. My hours of hard work and creativity moved them. It was important. To make my community feel seen was the best feeling in the world. As a creative, I want people to know that I don’t give up. I’m unstoppable because I choose to value my artistic talents. I don’t need anybody’s validation, although those moments definitely feel nice! The journey isn’t always easy. But it’s worth it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I just moved to LA two months ago, so I’m still figuring that out myself! My current restaurant obsession is “Pura Vita” in West Hollywood. It’s a vegan Italian spot with vegan calzones and it’s BOMB. Next up, I want to do a hike in Palo Verdes. A friend of mine lives in Hermosa Beach and said that sometimes you can see whales. That sounds nice. I also want to do a jet skiing trip to Catalina Island, which I hear is a beautiful weekend trip. And I gotta see Palm Springs and Joshua Tree at some point. Also just learned about the LA Brea Tar Pits – I love natural history, so def have to check that out. There is so much to see in LA!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family and friends have been my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. Everything I do and everything I have is thanks to them. Look at the people who support you when nobody else seems interested. Find your community and keep them close. In life and in art, those are the people you want to keep around. My biggest supporter and inspiration is my artistic partner, Steven Mosley. He’s a painter, editor, filmmaker, and director and is simply the most talented person I know. He lives with a spirit of creativity, and it’s influenced how I create work. Always say yes to yourself! Give your ideas a chance. Check out Steven’s work on instagram at @oncelegends!

Website: JennaBosco.com

Instagram: @IamJennaBe

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-mahmoud-bosco-248710158/

Twitter: @jennabosco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewHeightsWebseries

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmM7g9vJ3mqicLlkwgD3hYA/videos