67. Rebecca Jackson-Artis Decided to Follow Her Passion...Again!

Rebecca Jackson-Artis joins the podcast to teach McNeil and Andrew a thing or two about following their calling!  And that baseball games are boring. Especially when they are announced on the radio.  "And.....  A swing and miss..." 

Rebecca also promotes her comedy sketch show "What If I'm The Becky?" that she created with her partner Rebecca Fox! You can get tickets here:

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4523808

Rebecca Jackson-Artis (the Black one) was born on the south side of Chicago and reared in the north suburb of Skokie. A lover of performance, comedy and music since childhood, she holds a BA in Theatre Arts-Performance from Hampton University. In Chicago, she was an ensemble member of Barrel of Monkeys Theatre Company and worked as a teaching artist in Chicago Public Schools. She graduated from The Second City Conservatory and became an understudy for Chicago’s Second City mainstage. 

The birth of Rebecca’s first child in 2008 inspired an interest in maternal and child health. She became a Certified Lactation Specialist and worked with the Chicago Department of Public Health and WIC, promoting breastfeeding in African American communities throughout Chicago. She started a blog, a podcast, and co-founded a company that helped parents and health agencies serving low-resource neighborhoods.

In 2012, Rebecca, her husband Craston Artis II, and other parents started the African-centered school Watoto Wetu Academy on the south side of Chicago.

Rebecca moved with her family to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2014 and soon realized she had to return to acting, writing, and comedy. In 2018 she graduated from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communications as a Master of Fine Arts in Narrative Media Writing.

In 2018, Rebecca also wrote, produced, and starred in a short comedic film, In the Midst of Morons, directed by Dre Robinson. After ITMOM, Dre and Rebecca began a web series called Totally Becky, which screened in eight film festivals, garnering nominations for two awards, and winning Best Web Series at the 2018 Middle Coast Film Festival.

Rebecca lives in Raleigh with her husband, two sons (sometimes her bonus daughter too), and her mom from whom she learned the art of comedic timing.