My Biggest Lesson: Dr Jodi Nelson-Tabor
Dr Jodi Nelson-Tabor is the head of Final Pixel Academy, which is the training arm for Final Pixel - a global, end-to-end virtual production company. She is responsible for the development of talent pipelines for virtual production to support and enable collectively, as an industry, to help close the skills gaps.
This includes business development, creation and curation of its growing catalogue of Final Pixel Academy VP courses and training delivery and facilitation, education, outreach, and knowledge transfer, research and innovation, thought leadership and communication, and nurturing strategic partnerships across multiple stakeholders, including education and university organisations, corporate creatives and technicians, producers, and professional crew across all HODs and emerging talent across film, TV, media and games.
I’ve been very lucky to have many mentors and people in my life who have guided and supported my journey, which was definitely not an A-Z route. Their wisdom and insights gave me the confidence to pursue my passions and believe in myself when I was ever in doubt. However, the one piece of wisdom – if you can call it that – that comes to mind was from someone I never actually met.
I was living in Los Angeles, as a young person pursuing my passions in an acting and filmmaking career, post-grad school and had attended an industry event where a prominent talent agent was speaking on a panel. I can’t remember anything else about that day, what the panel was about or the context. But I do remember him saying “Magic is always around the corner”. My take-away was to stay at it, have tenacity, resilience, be bold and have courage in the face of adversity and uncertainty.
I also liken it to (and often repeat) a similar line in the film Shakespeare in Love, from the scene when Henslowe (played by the incredible Geoffrey Rush) is making his way to the theatre when stopped by Fennyman and Lambert who ask him what he should do about the theatre closing. Asked what to do, Henslowe says “Nothing, strangely it all turns out well.” When asked how, he continues, “I don’t know, it’s a mystery”.
I was always a late bloomer, even though I had been pursing acting since I was in my early 20s, I didn’t land in LA until I was almost 30 – an age for which most of Hollywood had told me my career was over before it even started.
Being an optimist and extremely passionate about my artform and the craft of performance and film, I certainly wasn’t going to be deterred by other people’s perceptions or limited beliefs. I pushed on, found powerful mentors, and figured out a way to carve my own path.
Along the way I gained insights, grew as an artist and a human being, while overcoming many challenges. I was empowered and developed a resilient heart, which would set the tone for my future pursuits.
My time in LA was one of tremendous highs and lows, and like many who come to the city of dreams to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, I met all types of people from all over the world. That kind of life education is something you can’t buy and I’m tremendously grateful, privileged and honoured for that time in my life.
Life is a constant wheel of change, and I think the chain of events that led me from that very pivotal time in my life, instilled in me the power of flexibility and agility in approaching it all. The opposite is static, sitting still and never growing.
As a very curious person about everything in life, I always pursue things through the lens of excellence, not perfection. As a young person I was a people pleaser and always wanted to make sure people around me where happy and thriving. But I’ve since learned that I too need to thrive and by living with excellence, I can not only live that truth, but I can also set an example for others. Equally, happiness is a natural outcome.
I don’t know who this agent was, but I do have so many people in my life who have been a part of my incredible journey and were pivotal to that learning experience. People in my creative life, my academic life, my professional life, my personal life – all of them are valued, loved, admired and cherished. I try my best to make sure they know this, am grateful for them and to recognise how much of an impact they made.
Sometimes we don’t know how much impact we have on other people in a positive way just by doing and being. It’s not necessarily the words people say or the wisdom that is imparted. It’s the intention, the gift of their time, and the manner in which it’s given that I think is a superpower. I try to remember this as often as I can, now that I’m in a position to mentor others and represent. I want to pay that forward to others.
Clearly, it’s had an impact still today, 20+ years later. It’s strange the little things we pick up through life. Sometimes things you hear or witness on your journey are there for you at the right place, right time. This could have been said probably many times over my life, but it was at this pivotal moment I needed to hear it. I had another teacher and mentor who I trained with, who told me “the training is for the bad days”, which is another piece of wisdom I’ve always leaned into when preparing for a presentation, or a meeting or even just doing something that is out of my comfort zone. These all speak to how I see myself in this world.
It has provided me with a strong foundation in which to leverage my own leadership practice. I still have lots to learn and continue to grow from these experiences. But with each moment, I take away insights that fit within my own purpose-led approach and hope I use that knowledge to have a positive impact on others – for my organisation’s colleagues and peers, our clients and stakeholders, our partners and even for our dedicated and passionate followers on social media.
Being a force for positive change is really important to me and these early experiences helped shape who I am today.
I often find myself re-evaluating this piece of advice. As I said life is a constant wheel of change, I always am re-evaluating. Being agile allows me to shift and adjust where necessary, but I still remain resolute in my purpose and return to that advice again and again. They are simple pieces of advice – but sometimes, simple is best.
I also tend to find myself sharing this with others. Particularly when people come up to me quite often and ask me how things will work out. I simply say, “I don’t know? It’s a mystery”… but enjoy the ride anyway!
