Unscripted: Jamarcus Turner Part II
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
Ink Spot Contributing Writer
“Don’t settle for the thing that you’re doing now. Do the things that you really want to do, which you feel in your heart you’re supposed to be doing. Do those things.”
Fort Wayne’s own Jamarcus Turner has really taken the saying “Follow yours dreams because you never know where they will take you” to heart (no pun intended) as he left our city and headed out to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, California to become one of the lead script writers for the hit comedy show: BOB Hearts ABISHOLA. In PART II of this UNSCRIPTED interview, I asked him how this experience has changed him and how he can help others traveling the very same roads he has paved…
UNSCRIPTED: Jamarcus, your success could only be described as “Started from the bottom now I’m here!” (to insert Drake for a moment) how did you manage that change and ascension?
JT: “When I left Fort Wayne, I was making about $36,000 a year. When I met with Disney, I was under the impression that this was the normal track that aspiring writers take when they want to be employed. When agents and a manager started hitting me up, I knew (or had a good feeling) that something big was happening and this turn for me was not the usual pattern for success in Hollywood. So, let’s just say that I knew that I was going to be making considerably more than the $36,000 that I was accustomed to!” (lol)
UNSCRIPTED: So, how did they know that YOU were the one, the “apple of their eye” let’s say, what catapulted this turn for you?
JT: “The way that it works is like an Eco-System. Producers and executives start having conversations and then producers feed off executives, the executives feed off of the agents and the agents/manager feed off of the writers. None of these things could happen unless I secured an agent. Once I did that, the ball got rolling. All of these entities need each other to make things go and my manager was connected to CBS who hired me to do Bob “Hearts” Abishola just 2 weeks after I hired him which was amazing!”
UNSCRIPTED: So, did you do any Comedy Clubs or anything else while you were pursuing the “big break”?
JT: “Well that was kind of separate, I started writing in January of 2020, but I didn’t start doing “stand up” until October of 2020. Right before my brother passed, I promised him that If I ever found an “Open Mic” I would give it a try. I did Hookah lounges, small clubs, and basically “hole in the wall” type places to try my craft and see how things would work out and I was serious about it! Put it this way, for as not serious as I took high school, I was deadly serious about writing, comedy, and acting because I felt like this was something that I could really do!”
UNSCRIPTED: Now as a comedian, do you have someone that writes jokes for you, or is this all of your own creative genius?
JT: “Noooo, this is ALL me. I do have people that I have written for, but I don’t think my ego would allow me to have someone write jokes for me. Now, if someone gave me a funny premise to build off of, maybe I could do that, now mind you, I do understand that big comics do it all of the time but I’m not that guy. If I’m truly a writer, then I can’t employ someone else to do what I claim I came out here for which was/is to WRITE! Maybe if I were doing a stadium tour then I would allow others to assist with material but not now.”
UNSCRIPTED: Who would you say is your muse or you pattern your style after?
JT: “I’m just trying to be the best version of myself that I can be. I’m moving in several lanes right now (writing, acting, stand-up, producing) but each is its own separate entity. I’ll focus on one thing at a time and move when into each genre when the time is right. My manager assists with that and actually I auditioned for Fran Oceans movie recently and have auditioned for other things, but they ALL understand that I’m employed full-time with Bob/Abishola and must work around that. I can’t develop any other writing projects right now simply because of the demands on my schedule.”
UNSCRIPTED: So, let’s get back to the show. How many writers are a part of this particular hit TV show each week?
JT: “It’s all a group project. Every show has a different room and “show runner” that has a way that they’d like to see things done. Luckily for me, I have a very positive room filled with people (black) which leads to a wonderful experience each week. Part of the reason that I was hired was because they wanted a Black man’s voice in the writer’s room which I consider an honor. We write 22 episodes a year and though we have been cut short for 2 seasons (COVID) we thing that we’ll have a full season 3 and move forward. We’ll work June - March and try to put quality shows out there for fans to see and hopefully enjoy!”
UNSCRIPTED: Jamarcus, to bring this to a close, what advice would you give to someone trying to get into this field?
JT: “I would tell them to begin dabbling in different areas of entertainment to see what works for them. Get involved in school plays, study the greats of acting and comedy to see what their beginnings were. But the main thing that I would say is don’t settle for the thing that you’re doing now. Do the things that you really want to do, which you feel in your heart you’re supposed to be doing. Do those things. You’ll feel better about your accomplishments.”