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

Hi Jon, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in a very small town outside of Mobile, Alabama. I knew I wanted to be an actor at a very early age in life. But being in such a small town, there wasn’t really much opportunity around at the time for me to pursue that. I remember watching Tom Cruise in Top Gun and new instantly that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to make other people feel what he made me feel when watching his film. Right after high school I went to work for my father as welder at his boat propeller shop. I would travel to different shipyards around the country and fix the broken blades on the huge propellers on the back of the ships. I remember being under this huge ship one night in the pouring rain. I was so cold and drenched with a flame torch in my hand and had finally had enough. I was done with this shit. That evening I told my dad I was moving to California. I was ready to pursue the career I’d always dreamed of. I knew it would be tough but I also knew that I would be happy. I would be happy pursuing something that I was passionate about, something that I really loved.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets me apart from others are the type of projects and roles I decide to sign on to. I love to tell stories that bring an emotional movement and have a strong impact on viewers. Two films I am most proud of being cast in are Union and U.S. vs Beltran which are both based on true stories. Union tells the story of a woman who disguises herself as her dead brother in order to survive during the Civil War. Union has won over 95 Awards including 33 awards for Best Feature, 20 for Best LGBTQ and 16 for Best Director in the festivals world wild. U.S. vs Beltran tells the true story of the Beltran family who were illegally detained by ICE. This is a story about experiencing injustice and/or individuals being wronged by institutions that they were told throughout their lives to place their trust in and have no doubts about their intentions. It is also doing very well in the festival circuit and we were very blessed to be nominated for an award recently at The Mexican American Film & Television Awards. One project I am currently very excited about is a script I wrote titled “ I’m Not Ok Michael”. It’s about my story of growing up in a small town and a very pivotal moment in my life after moving to California. It deals with a lot of pain, trauma and fear that have haunted me my entire life and how I had the courage to overcome that to be who I am today. The script alone has already been selected to be a part of multiple film festivals and is currently nominated for an award for Best Short Screenplay at the Prisma Independent Film Awards in Rome, Italy. I am hoping to one day get a production team behind it to get it made into a film.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite restaurant in Los Angeles has to be El Compadre on Sunset Blvd. By far the best Mexican food around. And you can’t go to El Compadre without having one of their house margaritas that they bring out with the top of the drink lit on fire. If you’re looking for a beautiful California view, definitely go to Malibu right as the sun is going down. It’s breathtaking!

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?
First of all I would like to give a huge thanks to Jay Brackin. He was a huge part in getting my career to where it is today. He”s been my agent for the past 12 years and sadly he passed away just a few months ago after losing his battle with cancer. I will never forget how much he believed in me and the dedication and hard work he put into me and my career even when he was going through the hardships of his cancer battle.

Website: linktr.ee/JonDannelley

Instagram: jondannelley

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