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Jou Jou Papailler    

Director & Actor in Amazon's "By Design;" Leadership Speaker & Abstinence Education Advocate

Jou Jou Papailler's varied career has spanned across various TV acting roles, theatre, directing and non-profit leadership. Papailler appeared as Jamal the Park Ranger, on "Sesame Street" and Off-Broadway in "Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine," which he co-wrote and performed in. He wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the award-winning, 4-Star Amazon Prime TV pilot, "By Design."

While serving as a Commissioner for the Kentucky Film Commission, Papailler and his fellow film commissioners got a 35% tax credit passed through state legislation. He has also spoken for Leadership Programs in Harlem, the Bronx, and Compton, where he co-created a non-profit for Abstinence Education. Papailler also spoke for Thanksgiving Around the World at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, KY and at several churches about his racial unity program—'Black, White, and Blue.'

Papailler has used his varied life experiences and his passion for affecting change to motivate, challenge, and inspire people of all ages.

Speech Topics


Black, White, and Blue

Americans are most united when we come together to fight against a Natural Disaster or Terrorism (domestic or foreign). Americans are most divided when we fight over cultural differences.

For the first time in American history Americans (particularly Black, White, and Blue (law enforcement)) are experiencing the same disasters ""at the same time"". Whether from Heroin or Fentanyl or Opiates, all Americans are experiencing the plague of drug addiction and drug abuse. Whether from gang violence or mass shooters, all Americans are living with the fears of the potential of devastation by gun violence.

Although unfortunate, this American phenomenon allows for a fortuitous opportunity: if Americans, Black, White, and Blue can see gun violence and drug addiction as a type of ""natural""/human made disaster, then we can learn how to come together, understand that we all have the same desires: basically, to feel safe and respected. With this goal, true communication happens. With communication comes trust, respect, and the ability to work together to make America safer and healthier.

Attendee Results:

  1. Relationships with people they may be diametrically opposed to (i.e., police officers, blacks, or whites)
  2. Skills to challenge their biases
  3. Data on rates of drug abuse and gun violence in blacks and whites in America
  4. The ability to share their needs to feel safe and respected from any of the groups whom they have felt unsafe and/or disrespected
  5. A tool for conflict resolution with diametrically opposed groups"

My Life is Now

Throughout our life, we develop ""recordings"" from our experiences: recordings that tell us we are incapable of greatness; recordings that tell us if we give our all, we are bound to fail; recordings that tell us that we are unattractive; recordings that cause a low self-esteem and/or a low self-worth.

Like any recording, there are two basic ways to eliminate them: 1. Overwrite them, and 2. Erase them. ""Erasing"" recordings is very hard and may take a long time (with a lot of therapy). However, overwriting can be done by creating ""new recordings"" which are ""louder"" than the existing ones. Essentially, My Life is Now gives you a chance to create a ""new life"". You choose who you date, the career you have, the life you have. You learn that ""You are Enough""; you learn that ""You are Perfectly Flawed"". You learn that ""Movement Creates Opportunity""; You learn how to ""use your emotions"" instead of letting them overwhelm you.

Attendee Results:

  1. Learning the concept of the ""10 Hour Rule"" to determine what passions you have
  2. Learning how to kill any presentation by understanding the concept of ""Lovers and Haters""
  3. Learning how to ""embrace your emotions"" and turn them into power to get what you want, to be authentic in each moment
  4. Learning what your goal and objective is and how to ""align and redirect"" with others to create wins for everyone"

How Acting Techniques can Make you a Communicator

Actors use the ability to connect with their true emotions (in the moment/Sanford Meisner Technique). Actors use the skill to examine the actions and expressions of their scene partners to decide how to achieve their objectives.

What if these techniques were used to help non-actors become better leaders, more effective sales persons, better spouses, better dating partners, and/or better conflict-resolvers?

With over three decades of professional acting experience, acting coaching, directing, and training (from coaching masters like Wynn Handman, DIann Ainslee, and Rene Raudman), Jou Jou uses a unique way to help people overcome their fears of truly "connecting" with others.

Attendee Results

  1. The ability to embrace emotions instead letting them overwhelm the attendee
  2. The ability to examine the reactions and expressions of people around them
  3. The ability to use role-plays and acting techniques to safely practice scenarios which intimidate most people

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