 What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
What inspired me to become an entrepreneur? The easy answer is circumstance. The genuine answer is a bit more complex. Becoming an entrepreneur, was not the intention, but became a necessity. After serving a 7 year sentence and being met with the skepticism that the majority of black men are faced with everyday. The insurmountable task of finding gainful employment. So I decided to get into a career where I wouldn’t be faced with a background check. One that my skill would overshadow my past. Tell us about your most profound lesson that you learned from being incarcerated. The most profound lesson I learned during my incarceration was the importance and significance of a man’s word. When you are locked up , you are stripped of all material things. The things that supply you status in the outside world are all taken. The only thing that remains is your word and integrity. I learned to let my yes be a yes. It enabled me to forge lasting relationships in business, because I deliver on what I promise. I value knowing that people can trust what I say.
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 What is it that inspires you to create films?
My mind is like a television. There is this world with these characters who have lives and desires. Then, there is this conflict. I have so many stories in my head that need and deserve to come out and to be shared. Stories that can make people laugh, cry, feel inspired, and feel seen. There is something about being a vessel of art where you are the only person who initially experiences the work. You put in the time and the energy, forsaking so many other things that you would also like to do, to manifest this vision. There is immense gratification in seeing others experience concepts that were once just ideas in your head to then to see these concepts displayed and enjoyed or even critiqued by other people. It excites me! What motivates you to seek opportunities in such a competitive industry? I’ve always longed to be a part of this industry. It has always been a dream of mine. My house was very arts infused. We had soul train lines, we watched awards shows and rooted for our favorite actors, singers, and movies. My friends and I would act out scenes from our favorite films. Honestly, it was the very first thing I wanted to be a part of. I’m a leader in my family. As the oldest and the only son, I felt that I had a responsibility to graduate from college and choose a career where I could take care of myself and also help provide when the need came. I did those things. I graduated from college. Heck, I have a doctorate. I’ve made a significant impact in the lives of so many and I believed that I was at the right place at the right time. However, there was still a huge part of me that was starving and community theater just was not satisfying my hunger. I wanted more and needed more. After no longer having the ability to suppress my feelings for my first love, I simply must follow through and fearlessly enter this competitive space and give it everything I can. I don’t want to leave this Earth with regrets. So, here I am.  What inspired you to become an author?
It started with my love of reading at a young age. Before middle school, I was voraciously reading anything I could get my hands on. I especially enjoyed African-American writers of the Harlem Renaissance: Countee Cullen, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Richard Wright, to name a few. I felt a connection with the works of the Harlem Renaissance. But I was born in the civil rights era. Prior to the advent of the Internet, websites, search engines, and social media, reading was my gateway to the world. Reading was how I learned about everything from history, politics, sports and entertainment to the stories and experiences of those who came before me. There were two books in particular that ignited my desire to start writing. They were: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Black Boy by Richard White. After reading these books, I knew that I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to share experiences. I wanted to write. Entering my teenage years, I enjoyed being physically active, playing freeze tag with my friends, and participating in team sports. But I found that the act of writing ignited a remarkable energy within me. Sitting by myself, expressing thoughts, ideas and stories in written word was my flow state. Just as I explored the world with reading, I found I could catapult myself into any space I chose when I wrote. The more I wrote, the more I developed a vision for my writing. I wanted my writing to invoke emotion, connect experiences, and elevate others. Though the Harlem Renaissance was decades before my time, I've often felt I should have been born in that era. Ultimately, it was the writers of the Harlem Renaissance who inspired me to write.  Tell us about your services.
This is an exciting time as I’m in the early stages of establishing Jason Hood HR Consulting, LLC. The purpose of the firm is three-fold. First, to help companies create and implement HR policies, procedures, and practices that are not only legally compliant but also foster an environment of inclusivity, dignity, and respect. Secondly, to facilitate meaningful dialogue between employees and employers about what their work environment is actually like and how it can be improved. Lastly, speaking at conferences and events, where I can talk about the challenges facing minorities and women in the workplace and provide the tools they need to successfully navigate through them. What have you found to be the most liberating leaving corporate America? Well, I haven’t totally left corporate America in that I hope to achieve corporate clients for my business. However, for me, the most liberating thing about no longer being an employee is that I don’t use all my energy fighting against toxic people. I don’t know why it is that once some people reach management, they think the rules no longer apply to them and that they can treat others any way they please. As a human resource professional, I felt it was my duty to constantly push back against this mindset of privilege because I firmly believed that rules and policies should be applied fairly and consistently. Although, I loved it, it was exhausting! The saying really is true that people don’t leave jobs, they leave people. So, it’s no surprise that one of the goals of my company is to help organizations identify who these toxic individuals are, help them train these individuals to meet positive employee relations expectations, or in the alternative – guide employers on the appropriate ways to separate these individuals out of the organization. |