JWalk Entertainment: A Progressive Production Company Aims to Take Seattle by Storm
“We're very forward thinkers when it comes to what's new and what's next.” - TJ Walker, owner and founder of JWalk Entertainment
By Mead Gill - #SupportBlackBusiness
An empowering combination of Black storytelling and cutting-edge production technology defines the Seattle-based production company JWalk Entertainment. Featured in comic conventions and film festivals across the country, JWalk is fueled by the owner and founder TJ Walker and his boundless desire to serve youth.
JWalk is currently working out of the M5 creative space in Seattle and looking to expand to Harbor Island Studios, one of the largest production spaces in Washington State. With this new collaboration comes opportunities for Walker and Perry to share their enormous cinematic talents with Seattle and beyond.
Emerging from Humble Creative Origins
Walker kickstarted the foundation of JWalk as a kid, where his passion for visual storytelling emerged from the world of comic books. He and his friends spent their nights cooped up in the back of printing shops in the mid-2000s, drawing and printing their original comic books to sell at school and local stores.
Once down the creative rabbit hole, Walker discovered music production and filmmaking, now the building blocks of JWalk’s production empire. As he grew his notoriety through national film festivals and comic conventions, Walker used every accolade as a stepping stone toward getting his hands on new technology and creating youth-centered creative programs in Seattle.
A Dedication to Youth Empowerment
For 12 years until 2019, Walker owned a state-funded rehabilitation home for at-risk foster children where he would work extensively with teens in need of guidance and mentorship.
“All the teens I got were called…high level, meaning that I'm getting them from juvie or I'm getting them from being on the run and things like that,” Walker said. “So, it was a very demanding but rewarding experience working with them.”
Carrying his passion for film into his work with troubled teens, Walker introduced them to behind-the-scenes camera work, visual effects, makeup, and whatever piqued their interests. “I spent every major holiday with the teens that I had at Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, birthdays, you name it,” he said, a demonstration of what drives his professional and creative values.
Walker’s relentless dedication to giving foster kids a fresh start with tangible passions to pursue translated seamlessly to his professional priorities. JWalk’s involvement with SIXR’s (Simulated Immersive Experimental Realities) Immersive Storytelling Lab closely works with teens from the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls club, allowing them chances to intern in the company’s transmedia ventures projected to begin in June.
What Is Transmedia?
JWalk’s current endeavors focus on transmedia, a storytelling and marketing technique that makes interconnected products spanning multiple mediums from movies, video games, graphic novels, and more. From a business standpoint, transmedia can increase audiences by producing more choices for consumers to engage with the products.
“Since I've already created comic books, I've already created music, and now I'm creating award-winning films, I got into…transmedia,” Walker said, identifying it as the natural step in his creative journey.
Transmedia remains a pillar of JWalk Entertainment, and Walker and Perry are elated to bring their unique perspectives on transmedia to life on Harbor Island. Perry outlined the endless possibilities in front of them, explaining that if JWalk makes a film, they can construct a video game version, an interactive comic book with augmented reality capabilities, and even a card game with the same storyline.
Riding the Micro Drama Mania
In light of their gamechanging new deal with Flex TV, JWalk is in the process to start producing micro dramas, a type of short-form television series fit for vertical social media reels. “The best way to describe them is… if Tik Tok and Netflix had a baby,” Walker said.
A multibillion-dollar industry in China, micro dramas have begun making waves in the US, with JWalk leading the charge. In the footsteps of Jordan Peele and Tyler Perry, Walker’s take on micro dramas will focus on promoting Black American culture, with storylines and characters aimed to resonate with diverse audiences.
“We're going to be the premier studio out of Seattle pumping out this new content that's on fire right now,” Walker said, enthusiastic to start filming micro dramas this summer.
Funding Challenges Through Covid
Six years ago Walker struck a production deal with Gunpowder and Sky, an independent studio based in LA, that would allow him a multimillion dollar budget to produce a movie concept. Up until this deal, Walker had been funding JWalk out-of-pocket after struggling to receive substantial grants in Washington State.
“Everything was signed, sealed, and delivered. Everything was fine,” Walker said. “And then once COVID hit, the world stopped.”
After the deal of a lifetime was postponed due to the pandemic, Walker expected the film to continue once lockdown subsided. But after a year, his original storyline, which involved a mass vaccine saving people from infection, was deemed inappropriate for audiences on the heels of Covid. Just like that, the deal was off.
“That was a big setback for me, because it was just like I did all this hard work, I got the deal…then it just disappears,” Walker said.
Moving Onto New Projects on Harbor Islands
Staying flexible and open to contemporary opportunities as they come has remained a staple to Walker’s success. Despite a failed production deal, JWalk is working on a partnership with Harbor Island Studios that will encourage them to expand their programs for teens while continuing to pursue their transmedia endeavors on a larger scale.
As they move into the bigger space, Walker and Perry look to grow their name in Seattle, build a bigger team, create their own apps and streaming services, and spearhead a monumental entertainment conglomerate in Washington State.
Walker called for support from the community, asking anyone interested in volunteering to help set up their new studio space to contact them via email.
Regardless of their myriad of creative pursuits on Harbor Island, Walker assured that his values of supporting Seattle youth and uplifting the Black experience and community through his innovation will never waver.
JWalk Entertainment
Harbor Island Studios
3235 16th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98134
Email: jwalkent@gmail.com
Phone: (253) 283-0355
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