Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacori McDaniel.
Hi Jacori, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It is safe to say I was given life by parents whose names themselves come from royalty. My mother’s name is Chaka Khan, and she is from Kentucky. My father’s name is Marc Anthony, and he is from North Carolina. My parents met in North Carolina, and they moved to Atlanta, Georgia in October 1994. I was naturally born as a star on July 9th, 1995 during the same month and year as my father’s grand opening for one of Atlanta’s top Adult Entertainment Clubs known as The Body Tap (located on Marietta Boulevard). Therefore, I was immediately born into an entertainment environment. I have always known from birth that I was born to entertain large crowds not only as a storyteller through speech but also through body movement.
Growing up, my loving parents noticing my light, quickly got me involved in many sports/activities such as Competitive Cheerleading, Chorus, Soccer, Golf, and Beauty Pageants to identify my talent. My talent was discovered through my visible passion while performing at Cheer Competitions, Beauty Pageants (awarded Little Miss Onyx and Miss Tyrone), Chorus Shows, and school Talent Shows. My solo performances in middle school singing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” from Disney’s The Lion King (6th Grade) and Tina Turners “Proud Mary” (8th Grade) both received standing ovations. I was awarded a trophy for Best Performance. I continued my love for entertainment in High School where I branched out to express my love for dance at my school’s Talent Shows. After High School, I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in Theater. I attended the University of West Georgia where I was casted as Bobby and a Kit Kat Klub Dancer in the musical “Cabaret”. After two years of attendance, I decided to further my college success by enrolling into my dream school Spelman College where I continued performing in Stage Plays and dancing in School Showcases. I graduated Spelman College in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater with Honors.
After college, I became a Legal Assistant at a Personal Injury Law Firm where I realized that was not my calling, and I felt like I was wasting time not doing what I was born to do just to make sure my bills were paid. I took a huge leap of faith by leaving my 9 to 5 to really focus on my pursuance of becoming the successful actress, dancer, entrepreneur that I aspire to become. My constant passion, faith in God’s timing, and my own consistency is what keeps me believing that I will achieve those goals. Since then, I have been in several Television Shows/Films, danced in music videos and live performances with the help of Hollaback Records Entertainment. I have also expanded my brand through all social media platforms to showcase my skills (including my YouTube Channel: Cori Time). I have also joined the KiKi Kastings Community to help further my success with the help of my mentor KiKi Ely.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, it has not been a smooth road. I already knew what I was getting myself into when I chose this path. I think everyone has their own testimony of how they had to overcome a difficult obstacle in their life. Mine began my junior year in High School when my father got incarcerated. I had to take on the role of being a helping hand for my mother to help raise my four younger siblings. During this time, I went into a deep depression trying to maintain focus on college assignments, work, and the responsibilities of taking care of my family. I lost consistency with my dance training and acting gigs. There were plenty of lost opportunities during this time. I dealt with heartbreak after losing my childhood home and knowing that my father could not attend either of my graduations. My mother had to quickly transition from being a house mom into the main breadwinner of the family. My mother and I both knew we had to keep going. As a family, we are still evolving and trying to recover.
Throughout this process, the hardest part for me was being consistent despite all of the hardships I faced. Factors like maintaining a growing audience, support within comments on social media content that I posted, being told “No” in several audition spaces, and being consistent in training in dance classes were all challenges. The art of patience, persistence, perseverance, and prayer rises above all struggles. I know that every struggle I have endured thus far is part of the evolution of an outstanding entertainer God is molding me to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an actress, dancer, and entrepreneur. I simply specialize in entertaining people by making appearances on television and movie screens, and stages. I obtain special skills in dance genres such as Hip-Hop, Heels, Jazz, Contemporary, and many Ballroom dance styles. Acting-wise, my skills range from both on-camera and on stage settings. Behind the scenes, I am an incredible Director. Outside of the Entertainment Industry, I am an entrepreneur with multiple streams of income. I own a successful Trucking Company called Journei V Logistics, LLC. The name “Journei” comes from my youngest sister’s name, and the Roman numeral “V” comes from there being 5 girls. I plan to own several more businesses as my journey with entrepreneurship grows over the years.
People know me by my benevolent spirit, compassion for my artistry, unique beauty, and strong work ethic. I am most proud of my accomplishments thus far, growth, and strength to maintain confidence with the decision to be brave enough to go for a profession that is an extremely competitive field. I think people normally give up just by the thought of this career choice. The fear of the unknown is a real thing. It does get scary and self-doubt does occur. I constantly have to remind myself to block out the negative thoughts and that I am capable of achieving.
The aspect that set me apart from others is my energetic expression while performing, the ability to give others their flowers while I am still growing, and my dedication to fulfilling my dreams through my toughest battles. I study different entertainers daily and nightly for inspiration. One of the artists I really study is Beyoncé because she is one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Absolutely. December of the year 2021, I was working for a Law Firm as a Legal Assistant. I really enjoyed my job, but there was something in me that questioned why I was really there in the workspace instead of pursuing my dream. Money is not consistent when you first step foot in the Entertainment Industry. Acting and Dancing gigs does not come easily if you are not networking properly. At that moment, I felt like I had wasted a lot of time. I decided to quit my job. I often listen to Steve Harvey’s motivational speeches. I was inspired to take that big leap of faith by jumping even though it would make me highly uncomfortable. During this time, I was jobless for a moment, betrayed by a family friend, and I had to figure out a way to make money while pursuing my dream.
The problem for me was finding a job with flexibility so that I could still pursue my dreams whenever I got casted for different gigs. I started Door Dashing for a moment. I sacrificed a lot in 2022. It was a really difficult time, but the process was worth living through. Like Steve Harvey says, “Every successful person in this world has jumped.” I have a God-given gift, and jumping was necessary to live in my gift even if it meant falling on my face first. When pursuing dreams, risk-taking is very necessary in order to see the other side for what God has planned for your life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/_CutieCori/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacori.mcdaniel?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacori-mcdaniel-68298125b?trk=contact-info
- Twitter: Twitter.com/_cutiecori
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/LNPpqNe-qg8
- Other: https://linktr.ee/cutiecori?fbclid=PAAaYzFXn5SFrcmM4qFB87fznYRZeByB_Di4lSFHC0v42Oj_UjlNngMkykpIQ
Image Credits
Instagram: @yungceophoto @theasianicole @T’MeekaMorgan @kenyadesiree_ @jay.Lenard
