Meet Jalene Mack | Entertainment Attorney, Actress, Writer, Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jalene Mack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jalene, how do you think about risk?
I took a risk on pursuing a career as a creative (actress, writer, producer) parallel to my law career. It was a risk because although I was an actress and writer before I was an attorney, there were the naysayers early on that thought I was wasting my law degree doing acting gigs. I learned that people will put you in a box and determine what they are comfortable with for you. What your limitations should be. What you are restricted to doing. I am not to be held back or held down. I am a hybrid. I wear many hats in the arts and entertainment industry because I have many talents. I am a lawyer, an actress, an author, a playwright, a producer, a screenwriter, a philanthropist. I am successful with all of my talents because they are commercially marketable and they have established me in the industry as an expert. I am more than just a lawyer and any remaining naysayers will have to accept that fact. I believe in taking leaps of faith. Although I have been immersed in the arts since early childhood, I have been acting professionally almost 35 years now and I have been practicing law for 30 years!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My practice is Attorney Jalene Mack, PLLC. I have other black female attorneys that make up my team and we generally service business and legal needs of Actors, Crew, Writers, Producers, Directors, Musicians, Comedians, Influencers, Investors, Labels, Podcasts, Production Companies, Networks, Studios and Distributors.

My firm specializes in helping creatives in the film and television business from concept through distribution with matters relating to development, pre-production, production, post-production, sales and distribution.

Although my principal practice is in Houston and greater Texas where I am licensed, the core of the entertainment industry business practices are the same everywhere. I have expanded my business and legal assistance in markets such as Las Vegas, NV, Miami, FL, Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Baltimore, MD, New Orleans, LA. and the UAE. My client list has been truly formidable, including the likes of Grammy, Emmy, and NAACP Image Award winners, best-selling authors, as well as NBA, WNBA, and NFL pro-athletes.

I am different from most entertainment Attorneys because I am also an Actress, Producer, Writer, Author, and a Philanthropist. I wear many hats and have so much practical experience that I understand the creative and business side of what it takes to launch a project.

In my more than 30 years in the entertainment business as a professional actress, producer and attorney, I have learned to treat my locale as my base and venture into as many markets as possible, to go where the work takes me. This makes for a full career all around.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Houston being the 4th largest city has so many places to enjoy when it comes to food, drinks and social life. I definitely love the Almeda Street corridor (located in the 3rd Ward area & the soul of Houston) because there are so many black businesses that I frequent like Melodrama Boutique and McQueen’s Custom Tailor, Shoes for Men & Women Accessories for shopping, 5015 for their live music legends series, food and drinks, Shine AutoSpa for a car wash, Reggae Hut for Jamaican cuisine, Davis Street for fine dining and the Original Our Legends Cigar Bar for kicking back with many of Houston’s elite.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shoutout my parents James & Carolyn who exposed me to the right mix of activities and education in my formative years; my husband Jermayn, our kids Sydney & Justin and my entire family who remind me that there is nothing like family; all of my best friends who I share continuous years of laughter and good times with like we are still in our twenties; my MPAC nonprofit circle who enable me to continue to give back to the next generation of artists, my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., who lit the fire under me to know how important and powerful black women truly are; and, my double HBCU experiences at Xavier University and Texas Southern University- Thurgood Marshall School of Law that more than prepared me for many wonderful career opportunities.

Website: www.jalenemack.com

Instagram: @jalenemack

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalenemackhou/

Twitter: @jalenemack

Facebook: @jalenemmack

Youtube: @jalenemack

Other: www.mpac-arts.org https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1217160/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_jalenemack linktr.ee/jalenemack

Image Credits
LaMont DeSal Jones of District Studios