Meet Todd A. Jackson | Actor | Writer | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Todd A. Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Todd A., have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work-life balance is ever-changing. Between my 9-5 corporate job, my freelance video production company, and my personal creative projects, the lines between work and life tend to melt together into a big bowl of mush.

It isn’t easy finding balance and I’d be lying if I said I was always successful because I’ve definitely burnt out quite a few times, but I’ve learned the key is always taking some sort of time to connect with myself. Going for a walk, connecting with my plants, listening to music — anything I can do to literally distract myself from work, creative or otherwise. Work-life balance isn’t just Monday to Friday, I think it goes into every moment of the day.

Sometimes work-life balance can be meditating for 20 minutes in the middle of the day or taking a break to enjoy your coffee in the sun. Part of it is diet and drinking enough water. It’s not just about listening to your body, it’s about responding. And when I have that balance within my body, I feel like it projects outward.

Again, I’m not always successful, but I think that’s part of the whole work-life balance thing as well. Giving yourself permission to learn and grow as you go because what worked a year ago may no longer work for the person you’ve become today. That said, I think I’ve found a good handle on it at the moment, but there’s always room for improvement.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have a couple of different layers to me and I guess that’s what makes me unique. Outside of the corporate job, I invest all of my creativity into my filmmaking and video production company. So I come with proficiency in acting, directing, writing, video editing, camerawork, and I’d also like to think I’m a pretty nice guy.

My current adventure has been producing a television pilot and that’s probably what I’m most excited about at the moment. I was fortunate enough to have someone invest in me, so I had the opportunity of writing, directing, starring in, and editing the project. It has been quite the journey from concept to completed film and while it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t difficult either. I probably grew more as an artist in these last 6 months than I’ve done in the last 2 years and that’s because I finally understand how to just let go and go with the flow.

There are a lot of things out of our control and for some reason, that’s what we tend to obsess over. On the other hand, there are a bunch of things we definitely do have control over and when we put all of our focus into those things, amazing things can happen. I think that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned — when my energy is put in the right place, I move in the direction I want to move in.

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?
I don’t get out enough to answer this question nor do I really plan things in advance like that. So, I’m going to break it down how I would break it down to a friend. We’re doing all the beaches; Manhatten beach, walking up the strip from Venice to Santa Monica, eating food, the Santa Monica fair thing, etc. We’re hiking to see the Hollywood sign. We’re walking up and down Melrose to buy stuff. We’re going to Silverlake to be hip. We’re going to the movie museum and tar lakes. And we’re walking down the Hollywood strip only once and never again. And then they’d leave happy customers.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutouts are always tough for me because I’ve been incredibly lucky to have met so many impactful people. But if I were to say someone that comes to mind right now, it’d be my older brother. Over the last 3 years or so we’ve gotten really close and he’s truly become a pillar to my success. I mean, he’s seriously my biggest fan. He believed in me way before I did and always supported my art. It’s amazing to see how impactful something as simple as “believing in someone” can be. So yeah, his support has definitely kept me going when things have felt heavy and I appreciate him for that.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8265131/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todd.alexx/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/toddfoolery/