Meet James Burleson | Actor & Instructional Designer

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

Hi James, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I have not gained much success without taking risks. The biggest risk I have taken in my career is when I decided to honorably discharge from the United States Air Force. By that point, I had already served for eight solid, good-standing years. I could have retired easily at 20 years had I decided to stay in. My father served 26 years, and my two sisters also served in the military. It seemed like the right decision to just serve a full 20 years. However, I would have always wondered what it would have been like to pursue my career ambitions, upon being the first to graduate with a Bachelor Degree in my family, if I decided to not reenlist. I’m so glad I chose the insecure route, as it’s brought me superb success in pursuing my dreams as an Actor as well as using my college degrees to pursue my talents as an Trainer + Instructional Designer.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a dedicated Performance Artist. I first started acting in 2007 when I didn’t even know what the heck I was doing. While watching movies and television, acting looks so easy, but unless you embrace the character and not worry about being cool, there’s no way your artistry will translate organically and naturally on-camera. There was a lot of trial and error involved over years. Within my self-realization, I started learning and achieving more when I stopped worrying about how someone else will view your work. Also, not being afraid of rejection was a pivotal point. These lessons were NOT learned overnight. It has taken me a lot of self-motivation and willingness in learning how to unhide my talent for others to take seriously, less much scrutinization. No one in my immediate family has an entertainment background, and I knew no one else was going to do this for me, except me. Treating folks how I would want to be treated has guided me along gracefully within my journey in new opportunities in bringing it back to the work as well as making a difference to those that enjoy being inspired in positive cinematic escapes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are many dazzling areas in DFW, to include but not limited to, West Village, Uptown, Downtown, Mockingbird Station, Knox and Henderson, Highland Park, Bishop Arts, Shop at Legacy, Lovers, Stockyards, Las Colinas/Irving (MacArthur Blvd.), AT&T Stadium, and many more. I’ve had countless positive experience in all of these areas. For me, if I had a friend in town visiting that has never been to this area, I’d say I’d take a friend to a restaurant fav called Avanti. The ambience and live music coupled with a variety of Italian fine dining options is a must-try. After that, I could see us going on a trolley to visit the West Village area followed by seeing a movie at the new Violet Crown or having a drink at a famous place called The Loon. If I wanted to venture outside of Uptown, I could see us taking an Uber of Lyft either to the Trinity Grove area and having dinner at the highly recommended Saint Rocco’s or navigating to the Knox and Henderson area to sight-see. Downtown Dallas also has a variety of cool restaurants and sights near the JFK memorial site (e.g., Main St, Elm St). If you want to venture outside of Dallas, but still want to be within DFW, try visiting Southlake Town Square, Grapevine’s historical views, Stockyards in Fort Worth, or the beautiful views of both the Valley Ranch and Las Colinas communities in Irving, TX.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is a tough question, as we meet so many people throughout our lives that have had sizably positive and thorough influences thereby making impactful choices within our destinies. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my mother and father, Kathy and Michael Burleson. They have been married for 46 years, and they have always been proud of my career successes since I surprisingly enlisted in the military back in 2003. I can most certainly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the military. For that, I thank my father because his life’s career in the United States Air Force (USAF) definitely had a major impact in myself even considering the military (even if it was not my first choice right after High School, as I turned down a 4-year ROTC scholarship). My mom has always encouraged me to take care of myself and to put my career first. I have done just that. Thank you, Mom. I definitely have to give a shout out to Connie Visitacion. She led the Toastmasters International chapter at Altus AFB (my first assigned duty station I was stationed at during my early years on Active Duty). She has positively mentored me throughout the years in a guiding light. She persistently encourages me to go after my dreams, not just in public speaking, but within my Acting career. I have a few long-term friends that have always been in my court of enthusiasm for many years, to include but not limited to, Sunny Ryan, Joe Grimes, and Ana Pastor-Munoz along with her beloved family. By the way, there are countless other friends and acquaintances I can name.

Website: https://www.jamesburleson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jburlesonactor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jburlesonactor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesburleson

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jburlesonactor1

Image Credits
Sergio Garcia Photography, https://www.sergiogarciastudios.com/
Flygirl Photography, https://www.flygirlphotography.com/