Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason A. Coombs.
Hi Jason, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I was six years old, I knew I wanted to be a performer. I believe the catalyst was the odd combination of watching the charismatic Will Smith in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, seeing the iconic Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard” and my obsession with “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, leading me down a path of wanting to make other kids feel the way they made me feel when I was watching them! Growing up as a latchkey kid in the 90s, movies, and tv were my comfort and raised me. However, in my community of Bridgeport, an inner city in an underserved area of Connecticut there weren’t many opportunities for a kid like me to get involved with the arts. Therefore, my only artistic expression was in music class and choir in middle school.
Then finally in the spring of 8th grade, I had the opportunity to audition for a local performing arts program that would be a major part of my high school experience. At the Regional Center for the Arts, I was exposed to musical theatre, contemporary plays, film production, and eventually dance classes. I was fortunate to have parents that even though they didn’t understand why I wanted to turn this hobby into a college degree, supported me fully.
Fast forward to currently being in my thirties, I’ve been fortunate to live in New York City and Los Angeles over the last decade, appeared as a “co-star” on some incredible television shows and web series including “SNL” and “Mr. Robot”, done some fun off-off Broadway theatre, worked behind the scenes on some interesting documentaries including “Harry and Meghan” for Netflix and shot my first lead role in an independent film last December.
But probably the aspect of my career that I am most proud of is bringing my love of film, art, and storytelling back to my home city of Bridgeport, CT. I always had this dream that by now I would be wealthy and famous like Oprah, where I would be in a position to give back through charitable contributions. However during the early days of the pandemic, as I sat around watching the world change and all of the intense reckoning for Black and Brown Lives across the country, I realized I needed to do more and I didn’t have to wait to have Oprah money or success to do so.
So I partnered with a local non-profit organization and launched my brainchild of what would eventually be the Bridgeport Film Fest, a three-day festival screening short films from across the globe, with panels and workshops led by industry professionals and multiple networking events with the mission of inspiring and empowering the local community of Bridgeport to tell their own stories which would help change the narrative of our city.
Through lots of hard work, community engagement, and financial sponsorship we have been able to complete two successful years, with a third happening September 8-10 of this year. Each year we strive to expand and offer more opportunities to get the community involved and have welcomed over 1000 people through the doors of the historic Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport’s West End neighborhood.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh no, it has not been a smooth road, unfortunately. There are constant struggles along the way, both internal and external.
When I completed my Senior Thesis final acting performance in college, I was praised by the faculty after completing my two contrasting monologues but I was told that due to my size and type, a larger full-bodied Black man, I would mostly be playing “gangsters, thugs and prisoners”, which was a huge blow to my already fragile confidence. Hearing that feedback delayed me in pursuing a career as an actor professionally for almost two years after I graduated. I thought I would transition to directing, which I grew to love in college, and maybe just audition for local community theatre.
However, I could not go through life having those “what if thoughts”. I didn’t want to wake up at 75 years old and think “What if I had just tried”. So I moved to New York City to give the artist life a true shot. Living in an expensive apartment in Queens, in a not-so-great neighborhood with three roomies was not always ideal. On top of an endless rotation of gig work in between auditions was not easy either. But I was determined to get my career to that next level.
There was a point when the auditions became less and too far in between when I decided that I needed to create my work, instead of just waiting around for other people to “give me a shot”. Therefore, I wrote, produced, and starred in my own eventual award-winning web series. That awakened a whole other side of my artistic storytelling journey, which got me active more behind the scenes with writing and producing.
Lastly, our world was forever changed in March 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic, which put a huge roadblock in this artistic journey, but it was a great reminder for me that life is too short to not live the best life that I deserve. Everyone had a different outlook and reaction to the pandemic, and I decided that I would transition out of gig work and only pursue paid opportunities in entertainment, even if it meant I wouldn’t always have consistent work. This paradigm shift in my thinking allowed me to bring the Bridgeport Film Fest to life as well as transition to documentary Archival Producing and Podcast storytelling with my podcast, “Survival Jobs” and my radio show, “Jay in the City”.
It is certainly easier said than done, but I have always tried to not allow people and things outside of my control to dictate my artistic journey. It is certainly a privilege not everyone can have, but I do hope more artists get to discover that freedom.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an accomplished SAG-eligible actor, writer, host, and director who graduated with honors from Western Connecticut State University with a BA in Theatre Performance. I have appeared in dozens of films, television shows, and web series including “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), “Tommy” (CBS), “Grave Mysteries” (ID Channel), “Making A Scene With James Franco” (AOL Build) and “Two Grown” (BET Digital), among others. Most recently I worked as an Archival Associate Producer on the Netflix Docu-series “Harry and Meghan” and an Archival Coordinator for “Happy Clothes”, a documentary premiering at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. I currently co-host and produce the weekly podcast “Survival Jobs: A Podcast” in collaboration with Broadway World and host the monthly radio show “Jay in the City” on WPKN 89.5 FM.
As a writer, my television pilot script entitled, “Chasers” was a semifinalist at the 2017 Independent Television Festival and made it to the second round of the 2018 Macro Lab Screenwriting contest sponsored by The Blacklist and Lena Waithe. In March 2021 I was the winner of the Roadmap Writers Diversity Initiative Program. My award-winning web series “SHAW”, which I wrote, produced, and starred in is currently streaming on SEEKATV. The six episodes of season one currently have over 12,000 views online. My latest short film, “The Morning After”, which I wrote and directed as a response to the 2016 election, premiered at the 2021 Chelsea Film Festival and won the SHORT SPECIAL MENTION AWARD, which was such a dream come true.
I’ve produced a handful of award-winning short films that have premiered in over two dozen film festivals worldwide including The La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival, Miami Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles CineFest, Dumbo Film Festival, The Astoria Film Festival, and the Australian Film Awards, among others.
I had the privilege of working as the Co-Director of Operations for Studio 4 NYC, an acting and filmmaking school for three years. Part of my many duties included assisting the teaching staff with a 12-week filmmaking masterclass and feature film project, “Sleepaway Slasher” as well as helping coordinate student casting on the Emmy award-winning web series, “Making A Scene With James Franco”. I have worked on set and in the production offices of the television shows, “White Collar” (USA Network), “Celebrity Ghost Stories” (ID Channel), “The Haunting Of” (ID Channel), and “I Killed My BFF” (ID Channel), among others.
Lastly, I proudly founded and am the Artistic Director of the Bridgeport Film Fest in my home state of Connecticut with the support of the local nonprofit organization Groundwork Bridgeport.
I know that diversity and inclusion are hot buzzwords these days that everyone tries to use both literally and figuratively, however growing up in Bridgeport, diversity and inclusion are all I’ve ever known due to all the incredible cultures and communities that make up my city. Being a Black, Queer storyteller of Jamaican descent who has grown up in a traditionally underserved community has helped shape a unique voice in my storytelling and the stories of others I want to help produce.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something surprising about me is that I am dying to do standup comedy one day. I was signed up for a comedy class right before the pandemic happened and took it as a sign to not jump into that so quickly, but I have the urge so bad still!
I write a lot of comedic scripts and my friends often find me funny, but I think there is a difference between that and being on stage telling stories to make people laugh. It’s a skill set that I would love to learn.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.JasonACoombs.com
- Instagram: @JasonACoombs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JasonACoombs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonacoombs
- Other: www.BridgeportFilmFest.org
Image Credits
Kerey Viswanathan, Lisa Lampanelli, Robin DeJesus, Ivory Aquino, Bridgeport Film Fest, and Stephanie Saujon of La Photography
