Iona Morris Jackson

Iona started out as an award-winning actress and VoiceOver talent, making her way into theatre directing before her dream of directing television and film took a primary, creative focus in her life. Moving from directing theatre to television required her emersion in learning how to tell a story with the camera. So, Iona took a position as Dialogue Coach on a new series,”Black-ish”, where shadowing directors and watching the interactions between producers and writers gave her insight and knowledge into the making of a television show.

After 6 years, Iona wrote, directed, and co-ex-produced her short, “Celeste’s Dreams,” which has been in 14 Short Film Festivals, garnering three nominations and the Award for Merit from the Canadian Short Film Festival. Submitting that to “Black-ish” producers as an example of her work, she was eventually offered to direct the penultimate emotional episode “If A Black Man Cries In The Woods” in the final and 8th season of the ABC/Disney hit comedy, garnering a nomination for Best Comedy Director from the Hollywood Critics Association and the NAACP Image Awards.

Being in the right place at the right time, Iona was also accepted into the DGE Directors Program a week prior to pre-production of her episode, further advancing her knowledge before entering the larger arena of directing a network television show. Then in 2023, Iona was accepted into the Netflix Series Directors Masterclass, helmed by Paris Barclay.

While waiting on her next television directing opportunity, Iona continues to direct theatre, having just directed COME ON IN LIVE, a one-man show, written and starring multi-media artist Daniel Callahan, performed at The Strand Theatre in Boston. Her past theater directing credits include the multi-award-winning comedy “Sassy Mamas,” where Iona won a Best Director Award from the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Awards. She’s directed two successful solo shows for Jenifer Lewis, also adding co-writer while directing Blair Underwood’s one-man show, director and contributing monologuist for Penny Johnson Jerald’s solo show followed by several other talented artists who’s one-person shows she directed including Kim Wayans, Tammi Mac’s multi-award winning show, funny man Michael Colyar’s touring show and many others. Iona also co-created, directed and co-wrote the star-studded sold out theatrical concert event “Broadway Under The Stars: 35th Anniversary of Dreamgirls” starring the 3 originals Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday. She directed the 21 person musical Sheba in L.A. and at the N.Y. Musical Theatre Festival and has directed Vagina Monologues many times with star-studded casts from coast to coast and these are just a few of the many theatrical projects Iona has been proud to direct.

Starting out as an actress and voice over talent, a few of her credits include recurring on the soap AS THE WORLD TURNS and the comedy MOESHA, guest starring on LAW & ORDER: L.A., COLD CASE and many other network television shows. Voicing promos for CBS, NBC and ABC, national and local commercials along with many cartoon characters including being voted the favorite voice of Storm from the X-Men cartoon.

She’s performed in theater from coast to coast winning a Best supporting Actress Award, part of a wonderful cast winning a Best Ensemble Award and presented with the Best one-person show award for her play “For You” honoring and playing her father Greg Morris from the original ’70’s series “MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE”.