Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Letkowski.
Hi Jackie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Northern NJ, and when I started speaking, my parents thought I was on the spectrum because I only spoke by mimicking lines from Looney Tunes. After seeing a child therapist, the diagnosis was: “She just REALLY likes cartoons.” From there, my passion for film and television only grew.
A while later, I suffered a serious injury that kept me indoors, which caused me to delve deeper into film, writing, video games, and comics. I eventually went to film school at SCAD, where I majored in film with a concentration in writing.
Although I loved screenwriting, I felt dialogue was my Achilles ‘ heel. To improve, I decided to take acting classes (to see the script from a different perspective). I had acted in shorts before while in film school, but while taking acting classes, I REALLY fell in love with it 🙂
Recent projects include an award-winning/festival short I co-produced and wrote in 2025 called “Cecilia’s Ship”, and I acted in an award-winning indie low-budget feature film, “The Raven of Baltimore City”, which will be released soon.
Currently, I produce/host a podcast called “Film Nerd Pictures Presents…”, I’m collaborating with R.N. O’Rourke on adapting his book, “Beach Dogs,” for the screen; I’m a juror in the 2026 DOCA Film Festival, and I’m the Assistant Director of the Off Page Film Festival. (After teaching a workshop at the 2025 Off Page Film Festival, the Director asked me to help her organize the one for 2027.) I’m also the owner of Film Nerd Pictures, where I provide freelance services in video editing, screenwriting, producing, script supervision, and acting.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. (LOL) Tons of rejection. But in this industry, you won’t survive with a thin skin. After a while, you develop a thick skin, and I actually start to look forward to feedback that helps me improve my work. I heard a saying recently regarding the industry: “If you know it will take 1,000 “No’s’ before receiving the ‘Yes” then you should look forward to rejection; for every “No’ you get brings you that much closer to the “Yes”.”
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Regarding my creative work, I’m proud of a few of my written & produced pieces as well as some of my acting work.
One example of my writing/production work is a short film (Cecilia’s Ship) that I wrote and co-produced, which screened at three festivals, won five awards, and received a few other accolades/acknowledgments. I’ve also written a TV pilot, a feature, and a vertical horror/drama that have placed in competitions. I’ve also written a couple of comedy sketches for a comedy troupe I sometimes perform with (Your Father & I) who are based out of NYC.
My acting work includes some scene studies (dramatic & comedic) I’ve performed in an acting class (Sedgwick Acting Studios, NYC). These include scenes from “The Producers”, “True West”, “Venus in Fur”, and more. I also acted in a feature film (“The Raven of Baltimore City”), which just won five awards at the Montgomery International Film Festival. I also enjoy acting in sketch comedy skits.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Well, bad luck definitely helped me to get where I am. After a depressed skull fracture as a child, I stayed indoors for a while, which caused me to become more immersed in TV, film, writing, and drawing.
I do feel that good luck also helped me; It was lucky that I found my acting class on Groupon almost 8 years ago, and I’ve been close to my classmates and teacher ever since!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.filmnerdpictures.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmnerdpicturesllc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-letkowski-bba40227b/
- Other: https://www.jackieletkowski.com
