Andre Jackson + C.J. Kirkland – Using Your Gifts For Good
Episode Summary
Andre Jackson and C.J. Kirkland are a power couple who are using their talents and gifts to power the GOOD as parents and creatives. Andre is a professional actor who you’ll find on Broadway and in films and TV shows, a screenwriter and producer. His wife, CJ (Cherita Jackson), is an amazing author on her own, a screenwriter, editor and co-producer. Together, they’ve teamed up for award-winning projects.
Episode Notes
Andre Jackson
Founder & CEO
For more than a decade Andre has performed extensively in award-winning theatrical productions nationwide. He is a noted alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). As an actor, Andre has been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, NAACP Theatre Award, Los Angeles Ovation Award, and was nominated for the BroadwayWorld Best Lead Actor Award for his role as “Simba” in the Tony Award-winning Disney’s The Lion King, performing to date with the show’s Broadway Company.
Andre is the writer, producer and star of the short film STOP in addition to television and film appearances in the Amazon series BLACK, NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, and Netflix’s Luke Cage.
A former Marine who has traveled all over the world, Andre now splits his time between Los Angeles, New York, and Memphis, where he primarily resides with his wife (a writer), son, and their feisty little Cairn Terrier Leon.
C. J. Kirkland
Co-Founder & CFO
C.J. has been a freelance writer since 2009, with a focus on conveying stories that exemplify the human spirit. She has written for numerous companies and nonprofit organizations including Executive Speakers Bureau, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Memphis, and cityCURRENT. She has penned the blog River City Rising (cityCURRENT) for more than four years.
Upon receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spelman College- where she attended on a full academic scholarship- C.J. completed the requirements for her Master of Arts in International Relations at UCLA after transferring from Morgan State University. Following a short internship at CNN (Los Angeles) and four years of working as a commercial and voice-over actress, she returned to her first love (surprising absolutely none of her teachers, professors, close friends and family!): writing.
While residing in Los Angeles C.J. began a creative writing group at a residential home for at-risk youth and, after moving to Memphis, volunteered at a nonprofit organization helping students build their writing and English skills in preparation for the GED exam. In 2011, C.J. was the graduation keynote speaker at BRIDGES in Memphis, Tennessee.
C.J. recently completed her first Contemporary Fiction novel, FOR TRUE. She’s an avid Crossfitter and enjoys traveling the world.