GO WEST, YOUNG LADY

GO WEST, YOUNG LADY

                               NORMAN V.  KELLY

 

Although Horace Greeley in 1865 had growing up with America in mind when he was credited with telling our youth to go west, quite a few Peorians took his advice.  I have written a lot about those young folks, and now I want to introduce you to Lisa Helfrich JACKSON . She is ‘A child Of Our City’ as early newspaper reporters used to refer to the citizens of Peoria that were born here and went off to seek their own fame and fortune. Most of them that I wrote about told me that in order to seek their dreams of fame and fortune they had to leave Peoria. History has proven that to be true.

 

“I had an idyllic childhood in Peoria and every time I go home I’m reminded how nice the people of the Midwest are.

I try to get home at least once a year and I have a family and a lot of friends still living in Peoria. One thing I miss about Peoria is the lack of traffic. It is so nice not to have to sit in bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour and it is so much greener there than here in California.”

 

Lisa graduated from the same grade school and University as I did. “Norm I graduated from Woodrow Wilson Grade School in 1979, Central, which is Peoria High School in 1982 and

our beloved Bradley University in 1986. I was in a lot of plays whenever I could get a role, active on speech teams, and did some community theatre as well. I even played a gangster in “Guys and Dolls.” I studied voice and dance outside of school and had a very active social life.” 

 

Lisa was a fun girl looking for fun friends and admits that she was no ‘top student’  “I barely survived academically my freshman year at Bradley. I never let academics get in the way of my fun. I wanted to please my parents so I chose a field of study that sounded responsible, like Business. But my heart was in theatre and by my sophomore year my college career began to come into focus. The theatre department was small and there were a lot of opportunities for me. I spent an awful lot of time in the Hartmann Building. My…if those walls could talk.”

 

                     CHANNEL 47 TO HOLLYWOOD

 

The most important experience Lisa had in Peoria was with the local PBS station, which at that time was located on the Bradley Campus. She met Jerry Spivack there and he too has made a successful career stemming from their experiences and education working in the studios of Channel 47.  “There we were one day in Hollywood working on a show that I was producing. Jerry owns a successful digital company and we were sitting on the stage marveling over how on earth we got from Channel 47 to being together here in Hollywood. It was a nice moment, both doing what we wanted to do and it all started in Peoria, Illinois.”

 

                                  LIFE IN PEORIA

 

“My twin sister and I fought a lot in early years, sharing a room at home, but we got along better in college and were very close. My mom would tell you that we fought like cats and dogs. My sister and I used to torture our brother Steve until he got bigger than us. In college we just made fun of him. He ended up marrying a very close friend of ours and now we are all very close.”

 

Lisa was a member of Pi Beta Phi and was a Bradley Basketball fan, enjoying the games at the old ‘Field House’.    “I went to a lot of parties and have very fond memories of Bradley and still visit there whenever I return to Peoria.

 

                              THE L.A. ODYSSEY

 

“I had a friend, now my sister-in-law, Janelle Helfrich who moved to Los Angles right after college. She told me how much fun it was and that there were a lot of jobs there.  So…I packed

up my car and left for L.A.  I can still remember my parents crying in the drive way as I drove off in my crappy old car.

When I think about it I can’t believe they let me do it, but they knew I needed to go figure things out for myself. My first job was a temp employee for an auto parts warehouse. Later I got a job selling beepers, calling on television production companies.  Every day I hit people up for a job as a production assistant and one day someone finally hired me. Later I got a great break as an assistant to the Producer on an HBO show called “First and Ten.”

 

                                 AND  HERE  I  AM

 

“Norm the title ‘Producer’ confuses people but on my on screen title I am considered a line producer, which means I am responsible for the daily management of the production. You might say I am in charge of logistics. Sorry, but I don’t make a habit of talking about the celebrities I have worked with but I have been lucky to have worked for some deeply talented and very funny actors. The cast becomes like a family, like my first gig, “Everybody Loves Raymond” where I stayed nine years. I had a spectacular time on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” and I can honestly say that I go to work and laugh most of the day.”

 

Lisa lives in Sherman Oaks which is in the San Fernando Valley with her husband Mark Jackson and their sixteen-year-old son Daniel and their family pets. Lisa told me she hates commuting so she lives pretty close to her studio where her usual work day is ten to twelve hours long.

 

“The show I am producing now is “The Millers,” starring Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, and Margo Martindale and we are having a ball. I hope all my friends and fellow Peorians tune in and check us out.  Norm say hello to all the people you and I know and when you and Gloria see my parents please give them an extra hug for me.”

Editor’s Note:   Norm is a Peoria Historian and Author of twelve books. To check out Lisa’s incredible career Google her:  LISA  HELFRICH  JACKSON/TV PRODUCER.