Talent agent Tiauna Jackson breaks barriers in Hollywood, fights for the underrepresented

Historically, Black people have had to deal with a glass ceiling and a brick wall in Hollywood.

“The elimination of diversity and inclusion departments is a step in the wrong direction, undermining the industry’s responsibility to create an equitable environment,” talent agent Tiauna Jackson wrote in May 2024. “For up-and-coming actors from underrepresented communities, the regression back to the Stone Age is a devastating blow.”

Jackson started The Jackson Agency in 2014. She made history with a Writers Guild of America franchise in 2019 and became the first Black woman ever elected to the Association of Talent Agents (ATA) Board of Directors, where she served two terms and co-founded the ATA’s Racial Equity Task Force. Essence named her to its 124 Women in Entertainment list.

Being a trailblazer is a family trait, Jackson said in an MSR phone interview.

“Every single one of my ancestors was a first. My father was the first Black superintendent of a manufacturing plant. He was a union steward. My grandfather was the first Black mechanic hired in Los Angeles County. My great-great-aunt Charlotte was the first Black woman to ever graduate from the master’s program at the University of Southern California.

“It’s just one of those things that kind of just seems to happen,” Jackson said proudly. “I wish I could say it was all me, but it’s really just my family. It’s just what we do.

“We’re trailblazers. We take risks, and pretty much we always accomplish what we set out to accomplish.”

A first-generation law student, Jackson recently earned her Juris Doctor degree.

Originally, “I started out wanting to be a filmmaker, and I still do,” she recalled. “The year was like 2013. I also went to UCLA, and I did their producers’ program, and then I also did their year-long screenwriting program.”

However, that proverbial Hollywood wall didn’t give. “I wasn’t getting any bites, and that was weird to me. And I kid you not, one day a voice came in my head and said, ‘Idiot, your name’s too Black, right?’ Tiauna Jackson, strong Black name. So I ended up using my middle name.

“As soon as I did that, I changed absolutely nothing else on my resume, and I got several interviews after that.”

That eventually prompted Jackson to start her own talent agency. “It was me listening to two actresses of color discuss that they were still having a hard time finding an agent,” Jackson stressed. “It’s crazy because even when I started the agency, I had people who have never booked a job a day in their life asking me, ‘What made me qualified?’

“You know, you have to work twice as hard. We have to go and get more credentials, more accolades. We just have to work harder and do more just to prove that we belong in a certain space,” said Jackson, who added that even with her success, she has represented talent that worked on Emmy-winning television, “The Crossover” (Disney+) and Discovery’s “The Book of Queer.”

But sadly, there are some Blacks who would rather have a white agent than a Black female agent.

“Yes, I’ve absolutely faced those types of issues of Black people outright saying, ‘I want a white agent.’ I’ve heard that before, and it sucks, but I’d like to think that I am qualified to do this.

“I am a great negotiator. I’ve been doing this for 12 years, and we’ve had a lot of successes,” Jackson continued. Her agency is “very civil rights oriented, social justice centered. We’re all about just equity for everyone. So, it’s unfortunate that we’re still having these conversations.

“We’re still not really progressing in the ways that we thought we were professionally behind the scenes,” Jackson reiterated. Her clients include actors, writers, directors, musicians, performers, authors, content creators and athletes. She said she would like to sign more athletes. “I would say it’s right now maybe 5% of my agency. My biggest athlete right now is actually a professional fencer,” Jackson noted.

Currently, the commitment to diversity and inclusion in all fields, especially in Hollywood, seemingly has paused and, in some cases, taken a step back. But Jackson pledges to keep fighting for fairness and equity.

“We specialize in representing the underrepresented. The exceptionally talented but grossly underrepresented,” Jackson surmised. “That’s exactly why The Jackson Agency was formed. It was formed to continue to fight and advocate for the artists of tomorrow.”

For more information on Tiauna Jackson or her agency, visit www.tiaunajackson.com/.

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