Meet Jaren Hampton | Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaren Hampton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaren, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
In short, you don’t know-sometimes you never will. I look at the struggles and obstacles that I’ve faced, with my business, let alone life itself- and giving up is the easy thing to do. Quitting is the easy route to take, that’s why so many people do it, and it’s understandable to be honest. For me, I have to keep going, not to prove to others that I can accomplish something, but to prove it to myself. I don’t like failing, or feeling less than, so I put that much more pressure on myself to accomplish the goal, whatever it is. The hard part is, the finish line keeps moving. My route to winning, doesn’t stop once one goal is accomplished, because then another one comes up, and another one after that and another one after that. I’m happy with the work I have done, but I am far from satisfied. I want more and on a grander stage. so I’ve got more work to do, more obstacles to set and more accomplishments to achieve. If you have that same passion, fire and desire for anything in life, then it’s clear, you must keep going.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write, direct, produce and act in stage plays primarily in the Nashville area (hoping to take them globally). I think what sets my plays apart from others, is other than the fact that I try to write about relatable things, that someone has gone through, or may know someone else who has I also try to make my shows and experience. You’re not just coming to see a typical stage play, but I want you to feel like you are a part of it. I love when the audience engages, and I want you to leave wanting more. No play has been “easy” to put together, but they all have been fun and a learning experience. Because this is a passion, it never feels like a job. I get excited when I write, excited when I cast the actors and actresses, excited when we practice and really excited when we perform. Some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is not to be naive, this is sitll a business and other may not take it as serious as you do. I also learned the power of entertainment and emotion. I also learned and improved my business and negotiating skills-coming in brand new, you don’t realize those things when you are just trying to put on a play, but with experience, you learn more and become a lot better. I want the world to know that my passion in life is to entertain, and engage and my shows allow me to do both, while also placing messages within them. I want people to watch my shows and feel like everything in them can be real, because when you break everything down, to some, it is.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I was put on the spot with this one haha- For food places, I would take them to more mom and pop places vs. chains. Give them a real taste of Nashville. Depending on what they like to do with fun, we could go to bars, lounges etc. Broadway is cool for out of towners, but Nashville has a lot to offer throughout the city as well for entertainment.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people deserve credit for my journey that it’s impossible to name them all. But a special shoutout to anyone that has ever acted in any of my stage plays. The amount of work and preparation that goes into putting a play together equals months of hard work and dedication, and without them, my dream would be just that, a dream- they help to make it a reality and for that I am forever grateful! I would also like to thank my stage manager, Jarisse, she is a huge help and takes a lot of stress and pressure off of me. My dad has been a huge help from the business side, the support side and running my front desk side, not to mention he used to let us have practices in his house, so I’m grateful for that. Sydney and my sister Jalesa also assist with running the front desk and assisting with actor needs and my needs. Last but not least, my girlfriend, Maurissa has been a HUGE help. She assisted with helping us to land several sponsors, getting us billboard placement, and a bigger venue. I am forever thankful to her for her extreme hard work and efforts. She did this all while being the lead actress in the play as well. Also thank you to the cast, crew, set designers, photographers, videographers, and anyone that was willing to share their platform with me to help me promote the play. THANK YOU!

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