Jasmine Alexia Jackson, 27, is a Dominican/American storyboard artist who has been associated with movies and projects such as Inspection, Game changer films and Black Panther 2 with Marvel Studios.
She has worked for most of the production companies on the market from commercials to television and feature films in Europe and the United states.
The main job of a storyboard artist is to translate screenplays and sequences into a series of illustrations, like in a comic book. These illustrations have two major functions; first, they help directors to clarify exactly what they want. Two, it makes it easier to sort out requirements like make-up, clothes and also computer-generated images for special effects. Storyboards are mainly required in films with a lot of complex chases, fights and battles scenes.
Born in Chicago, IL, Jackson was raised by her Dominican mother- Annie John-Baptiste and American father. This is where her career as an art department production assistant began. She worked her way up to a senior illustrator, then a storyboard artist. She was raised split between Chicago and Atlanta.
Currently, Jackson lives in Los Angeles California where she is prepping to hop on another action film with a lot of stunts where she gets to figure out and draw for the director.
“Recently I even got to see some of my on-camera drawings for HBO’s Station Eleven which was cool because I got to do the on camera drawings for a character that was Caribbean but grew up in Chicago and worked as an Illustrator. I did those drawings in 2019 during my trip to Dominica from Chicago. It was crazy to do over 1000 drawings in 2 months but it was so fun,” she told Dominica News Online (DNO).
Before her success, Jackson garnered a scholarship to attend Columbia Chicago by making an appeal to the dean to provide assistance for just the first two years on the basis of her work. During her time there, she learnt productions work, freelancing skills and illustration.
“In my second year, I knew I needed something to make me stand out. I then applied to every production company in Paris & London. I started interning at a production company in Paris then I got into a work study program in Beijing at the Beijing film academy,” she revealed.
Eventually, because of her interest in film, she took on storyboarding. When Jackson later graduated from college, she moved back to Atlanta and began her first job as an art department assistant on Hidden Figures with production design legend Wynn Thomas.
“I worked as an Art Department Assistant for two years until eventually I went to Warner Bros as an assistant and worked my way up to a production Illustrator. Then I went on to freelance at HBO’s The Outsider as their series artist. After, I worked on a Christmas movie where I randomly got to work with Debbie Allen.”
Jackson said her mother’s family was very supportive after they came to America from Dominica.
“My mom herself is extremely creative, so she never put me down for wanting to be an artist instead of a doctor or something conventional. Growing up, I was punished by my school for always wanting to draw at every moment because they thought it was distracting,” she recounted.
She said her father also did not take her career choice well as he wanted her to be a doctor for years.
In the next 5 years, Jackson plans to work on another 15-20 projects and hopefully evolve into more visual development or directing.
Here is a link to Jackson’s work on previous projects:
https://jasminealexia.com/storyboards-1
A talented young lady in an interesting career. Keep following your dreams and passions. Schools officials must learn to develop different talents in students. The arts are important.
I agree: the arts are important, and this is why all aspects of the creative arts must be given prominence in schools. Without that we are depriving the potential of at least 50% of our students.
It’s nice to see that someone can think out of the box and to follow their God given talent. Through hard work and determination, anything is possible.
This is such a great story. I never knew professions like this existed. Nice to hear about young people making their own way. The youth on the island should hear of different types of careers and industries. I wonder what else is out there.
DNO, how do you come about these stories? Do you seek them out, or do these individuals send you stories about themselves to show how fantastic their lives are?
Just curious.
ADMIN: We get stories from a mix of sources. You are of course free to highlight your own successes (and challenges) or those of others as well.
Thanks for the offer, but I have never been one to seek the spotlight. It could be a generational thing.
I just find it a tad strange to sit and write a story about myself highlighting my achievements to the world.
Nowadays, some people tend to embellish what are, by all accounts very ordinary lives and achievements.
The cohort (and very good friends to this day) with whom I graduated university have done incredibly well, but I don’t know anyone in the group who would raise their hands and say look at me. And some of these guys (not me) are worth tens of millions of dollars.
ADMIN: We take your point.
However, these particular articles were written by DNO. What you are referring to would be a form of press release.
In the case of a press release we typically include PRESS RELEASE followed by the author at the top of the page just below the headline.
I suppose that is the reason for hiding behind a nom-de-guerre.
This criticism of the person’s success is strange on so many levels but especially because of the pettiness evident here and the faux humility.
Grow some and own up to your comments. Achieve and keep quiet about your success. Cheap shots at someone else is so uncool.
I see critical thinking is not your strength.
Who said anything critical about success? You completely missed the point so I will explain it to you: It is the idea you have to announce it to the world that I was commenting about.
Unless you are within my orbit, I am agnostic to people’s success or failures.
Agnostic? Hmmm. Do you want to try again?
Look up the broader definition of “agnostic” and we can then talk. The one that does not pertain to the belief in God.
Duh ..Dude in case u were wondering, it’s the Internet..lol lol, lots of possibilities, I’m quite sure your ‘rich’ friends knew that & chose to be quiet. As DNO suggested, try it. You’d be surprised how it makes you feel
Ohh Chile! You’re throwing a lot of shade at a 27 year old who is passionate about her craft. With so many unpleasant things happening we should embrace good news and urge our kids to reach for the stars. We need more of this and less negativity.
I find you sounding very much like a hater..
I don’t know her parents but I must say congratulations to the young lady.I hope she goes very far in her career and always aim for the stars.