Today we’d like to introduce you to Jency Weeks.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jency. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I never planned on entering the TV/Film industry. As a matter of fact, being in front of people in this aspect scared me to bits! Sports is what I loved to do while growing up and I even got my Bachelors and Master degrees in Sports Management and worked for a D1 football team for years as an Operations Coordinator. It wasn’t until after I had our daughter that I knew there was something there!
I signed up for a scene study class with John S. Davies, at KD College in Dallas, and after the class, he asked how long I had been studying. Shocked, I said “Um.. an hour!” John encouraged me that if I continued to advance in the 6-week class, he would introduce me to his agent and then go from there. A few weeks later, after the class was over, I signed with an agency in Dallas with no headshot, no resume or any experience, and two weeks later I was working on the TV show DALLAS on TNT.
My career has exploded from there, each experience has been a stepping stone along the way. Signing with my agent led me to working on shows such as NASHVILLE, that led to finding my acting coaches, working with them led me to working on my first short film, working on the film led to connecting with a producer, the producer encouraged me to start my own production company, and I am currently working on selling my first TV show.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I like to look at my story like a book titled “UNTITLED: JENCY’S JOURNEY.” Each chapter is different, and each chapter has its ups and downs. (I’d be lying if I say I’m not writing it. I completely am and have the preface already written). Each chapter along the way has been a challenge. From learning how to audition to understand how to protect your scripts, they have all been stepping stones I learned from.
One of my major struggles at the beginning, as is with most actors, was rejection. I still get told “NO” more times than I do “YES.” It’s almost a joke in the industry that it’s easier to get told NO because when we get told YES, we basically have massive celebrations and don’t know what to do with ourselves. At first, I took being told NO personally. I thought it was something against my personality and me as a person. That is not the case!
Every casting director out there is on your side, especially the ones I have worked with in the Dallas market. Casting directors want you to get the job! When you do good as an actor, they look good in their job. They are rooting for you! Once I realized that for each co-star and guest-star role on a television series being casted, there are over 1500 submissions per role, 20 get called in for auditions, only 5 of those get seen by the director.
I had to learn that rejection isn’t like being rejected by your high school crush next to your locker during passing periods – it’s not personal, it’s business. It doesn’t matter if it’s a role I’m auditing for or a show I’m pitching with my production company, NO’s are now heard as a “not right now” in my mind.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
My job has two parts to it as an actor and as an owner of a production company.
As an actor, what many people don’t know is how many actors are in and how strong the TV/FILM industry is in Dallas! We are parents, community leaders, church members, fitness instructors, small business owners, and your next-door neighbors. What separates me from other actors in the industry is I’ve been lucky to get my start in Texas, especially Dallas!
It is a community that pulls for each other, works hard to bring work to our city and state, will go the extra mile at the end of the day for the job, all while having that southern charm that isn’t found in any other region. I audition all over the country, and every time I finish with my audition, I say “Thank Y’all,” which always gets conversation going!
There’s something special about Texans that set’s us apart from the rest. I am also an active member in SAG-AFTRA and continue to bring awareness of how important our union is to protect us as performers. As a production company, we, at Bumblebee Entertainment, are trying to bring as much film to Dallas. I am a proud Texan at heart and want to see this industry continue to explode.
For every dollar spent on a movie in Texas, it returns $5.55 to the economy, and bringing film and television to Dallas is something that I will continue to do throughout my entire career. With Bumblebee Entertainment, we plan on bringing, and filming, as many projects as possible in this great city and state! It’s so important to give back to my home state and town that got me started.
It’s a way of not only saying thank you to the city that has supported me, but a way to show the other industry members in Dallas and Texas that they will always be supported!
What were you like growing up?
Born and raised in one of the smaller towns in Texas at the time, Frisco, Texas. Frisco was so small the biggest thing that came into town was the McDonald’s on Preston. It was a small town with one elementary school and a joined middle school/high school! It was a wonderful town to live in with everyone knowing each other, we would ride our bikes up to the original location of the Snow Cone Lady and stand in line at on Friday nights, and eat at the Royal Drive in on Saturday nights.
Like I previously mentioned, I did not grow up thinking I would ever do anything with acting. I was a cheerleader and swam competitively, but I remember wanting to always sign up for acting classes, but I never had time with sports. There wasn’t one specific group I “belonged” to, I always liked being around different groups of people, liked looking and learning from different personalities, and would always be my best self when around creatives.
I was definitely the girl who would be cheering on the sidelines on Friday night but would watch FRIENDS looking at their character reactions and wondering what part of that was their character and what part was their real personality showing through.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jencyallisonweeks.org
- Email: jencyaw@gmail.com
- Instagram: @jencyallisonweeks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JencyAllisonWeeksOfficial/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5576684/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
