Biography

Jes Macallan

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Overview

Born
August 9 · Sarasota, Florida, USA
Height
5′ 9″ (1.75 m)

Mini bio

Jes Macallan is a seasoned director and actor with a passion for character-driven storytelling. With over 130 episodes as a lead in major television series including DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW/Netflix, 7 seasons) and Mistresses (ABC/Hulu, 4 seasons), she brings a deep understanding of performance and narrative to her work behind the camera. Macallan's passion for storytelling as an actor and director thrives with a deep and meaningful character driven script. Her performance background affords her a profound understanding of character exploration on screen which is reflective in her process as a director. Her extensive experience in television, in front and behind the camera, has also afforded her the understanding and importance of communication, budget comprehension, and effective time management. She has directed (while simultaneously acting in) visually complex episodes of Legends of Tomorrow, as well as directing All Rise (OWN/WB), numerous episodes of All American (Netflix) and the spin-off All American: Homecoming (CW/Netflix), and Found (NBC). She brings energetic passion and artistic vision to every set.

In retrospect, early on in her acting career she was inclined to pursue her ever-present passion for directing and she began shadowing veteran directors she admired. In 2016, with a non-existent budget, she wrote, produced, and directed her short film Self, E as a directorial sample piece. Upon submission to a few select festivals, the film was accepted and well received. The Dances with Films Festival held a screening of the short at the famous TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The film, as well a cohesive application, secured Macallan's admittance to the highly competitive Warner Bros. Television Directors Workshop. She is a proud graduate of the class of 2019.

She and her partner, fellow actor Nic Bishop, are procuring multiple projects with talented colleagues and friends from their many years working in the industry in a directing, acting, and producing capacity. To reference a few of her numerous other acting credits, she also starred in the pilot Crash and Burn, executive produced by Tony Hawk as well as the digital film series, Relationship Status, executive Produced by Milo Ventimiglia and StyleHaul, which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival with critical accolades. She has also appeared on Tracker, The Company You Keep, NCIS: LA, Shameless, Red Band Society and Grey's Anatomy, to name a few.

Macallan's artistic journey in the performing arts started early as she began dancing at the age of three. She studied classically into her 20's, with a rigorous syllabus including modern, jazz, ballet, pointe, tap and musical theater, with a well rounded focus on all forms of dance and expression. Throughout her decades of classical training she participated in master classes with legends such as Luigi, Mia Michaels, and Eddy Toussaint. She studied endless variations of dance techniques including Fosse, Graham, Ailey, Tharpe, Cunningham, Balanchine and more. While her artistic expression and performance goals were fulfilled on stage through movement, the rigorous training caused early injuries. She made the difficult decision to continue dancing while in college, but not to pursue dance professionally.

She earned a bachelors degree in Business Administration, with a focus on International Marketing from the University of Florida. During her studies she traveled to Europe often, immersing herself in her passions for European culture and language, especially Italian. Her degree includes a study abroad term at the prestigious Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Although it wasn't a grand passion, while on her academic path she was grateful to be able to take the opportunity she was offered to model in Miami, New York, and Milan. She later studied acting in Los Angeles, but yearned for a more comprehensive drama program. She relocated to New York City to attend the highly regarded, Meisner intensive acting program, at the conservatory-based Maggie Flanigan Studio.
- IMDb mini biography by: Innovative Artists