Black Hollywood Meet Your Black Agent
As prominent celebrities voice their desires for more Black Agents at their mega agencies, talent agent Tiauna Jackson reminds us that she has been here the whole time and creates a training academy for future Black Agents.
CENTURY CITY, Calif., July 8, 2020 (Newswire.com) - The Jackson Agency is a Black-owned talent agency established in 2014 after Jackson, a Chapman University and UCLA graduate, found barriers to entry while pursuing entry-level opportunities as a talent agent in Los Angeles.
In a recent ‘Call to Action’ on podcast ‘Melanin Blvd,’ Jackson asked for extended family members of prominent entertainers to spread the word about her agency to their affluent kinfolk and published an open response to the recent demands for more Black Agents at white-owned agencies on her agency’s Instagram.
“Black Hollywood demands more Black Agents. Instead of demanding changes where you are, maybe you should look somewhere new.
"Systemic racism runs deep within the walls of Hollywood. It's not going to change with donations to HBCU's, social justice programs, and shutting down suddenly on Juneteenth.
"A leopard can't change his spots overnight. Every time we've asked for diversity, we've been told they can't find any.
"So why not make the switch to an Agency built unapologetically for us, by us, and with us?
"Don't let them tell you there are no Black Agents; I've been here this whole time.”
To prevent Hollywood from announcing there are no Black Agents, like they did with writers, Jackson has created a Black Talent Agent Training Academy to accelerate the careers for the Black Agents of tomorrow.
The mission of the Black Talent Agent Training Academy (BTATA) is to provide African-Americans with the relevant job skills used by talent agents in the entertainment industry. The BTATA seeks to create the future elite Black Agents of Hollywood. Through strategic planning with hands-on curriculum, the training program provides students with the necessary job skills needed for entry-level employment as talent agents. The BTATA strives to transform the industry’s perception that there is a lack of Black Talent Agents available with the required employable skills for positions at elite talent agencies.
About Jackson Agency: Founded in 2014, The Jackson Agency serves the underestimated, the underrepresented, and the underserved and is a WGA franchise and ATA member.
About Tiauna Jackson: Tiauna Jackson is a Talent and Literary Agent for The Jackson Agency. Ms. Jackson made history by becoming the first Writers Guild of America franchise in Atlanta, Georgia, and is believed to be the first known Black woman with 100% ownership of her agency to become a WGA franchise in Los Angeles.
Additionally, she was featured in the New York Times, Medium, Oz Magazine, and Arizona Informant for her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion while facing adversity through resilience.
Contact:
Nikki Greene
ActorBrand
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Source: Jackson Agency