Riley Jackson(II)
- Actress
- Director
- Cinematographer
Riley Jackson is a California-born and raised actress with both U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She began in theater before landing early voiceover and screen roles, including short films for GoPro and the American Film Institute. This ultimately led to her casting as a lead in the feature film "Crystal Inferno" (SyFy Channel) opposite Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black") at the age of eleven.
Riley went on to play "Young Frankie" in Netflix's acclaimed series "Grace and Frankie." She most recently starred in Apple TV+'s award-winning "Little America," and in the Showtime/Paramount+ family feature "A Genie's Tail" opposite Laura Marano ("The Perfect Date," "Austin & Ally"), Jake Paul ("Bizaardvark," YouTube personality, professional boxer), and comedians John and Kevin Farley.
Riley also stars as Carmen in "We're Alive: Scout's Honor," part of the acclaimed "We're Alive" audio drama franchise which has surpassed 250 million downloads. "Scout's Honor" debuted at #1 on Apple Podcasts in March 2024 and continues to earn awards.
On stage, Riley directed Ivy League productions of "The Addams Family" musical in October 2025, and "9 to 5: The Musical" in May 2025. She also acted in productions including "Spurned" and played guitar in the pit for "Little Shop of Horrors." In her younger years she starred in several plays for ACT including "Young Frankenstein," and has trained at The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.
Musically, Riley writes and performs on the guitar, piano, ukulele, and drums. She has recorded background vocals for Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica (Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli) contributing vocals to the remix of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song," and Laura Breton's Christmas Album. She was also the lead vocalist on dozens of children's songs.
Riley's online presence includes featured collaborations with David Dobrik, Jake Paul, Jason Nash, and Merrick Hanna. Her early "Musical.ly" (now TikTok) videos were also featured multiple times.
As a filmmaker, Riley wrote, directed, and edited the award-winning short "The Ultimate Sacrifice" which earned awards including Best Young Female Filmmaker at LA's Indie Short Fest, Best Short USA at Vancouver's Director's Cut, and Best Film Under 5 Minutes at the New York International Film Awards (NYIFA). It was also an Official Selection at LA's HollyShorts Monthly, Atlanta's RollCall Indie, and Italy's Golden Short Film Festival. She also directed a film for the acclaimed José Mateo Ballet Theater and created a film for Cancer Support Community Los Angeles' fundraising gala.
Riley has also served as Event Chair and Presenter for charity events benefiting City of Hope including the Halloween for Hope event co-hosted by Disney star Raven Symoné Pearman-Maday, and the Celebrity Sale 4 Hope where she co-hosted with Eric McCormack and John Schneider. The Celebrity Sale 4 Hope was a collaborative event with Cancer Support Community Los Angeles, the City of Hope Hospital, Greenlight Women, and Variety Magazine.
Riley has also gained business experience in the entertainment industry. At Propagate Content - a leading production and distribution company co-founded by former NBC President Ben Silverman - she participated in project evaluation meetings, scouted IP, and deepened her experience in the development and green-lighting process. She also interned for CAA Caravan, working directly with co-founder Leonard Brody on strategic brand ventures alongside A-list actors and athletes. As an extern for the renowned Gersh Talent Agency, she learned from accomplished agents across different departments, and as an intern for Underscore Talent she had the opportunity to scout talent, shadow team members, join agency meetings, and optimize market trends.
Further, as part of a show business family, Riley grew up attending major international film and television markets including Cannes, MIPTV, MIPCOM, Budapest, Hong Kong, Moscow, London, and Toronto, gaining exposure to the global entertainment business from an early age.
Riley went on to play "Young Frankie" in Netflix's acclaimed series "Grace and Frankie." She most recently starred in Apple TV+'s award-winning "Little America," and in the Showtime/Paramount+ family feature "A Genie's Tail" opposite Laura Marano ("The Perfect Date," "Austin & Ally"), Jake Paul ("Bizaardvark," YouTube personality, professional boxer), and comedians John and Kevin Farley.
Riley also stars as Carmen in "We're Alive: Scout's Honor," part of the acclaimed "We're Alive" audio drama franchise which has surpassed 250 million downloads. "Scout's Honor" debuted at #1 on Apple Podcasts in March 2024 and continues to earn awards.
On stage, Riley directed Ivy League productions of "The Addams Family" musical in October 2025, and "9 to 5: The Musical" in May 2025. She also acted in productions including "Spurned" and played guitar in the pit for "Little Shop of Horrors." In her younger years she starred in several plays for ACT including "Young Frankenstein," and has trained at The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.
Musically, Riley writes and performs on the guitar, piano, ukulele, and drums. She has recorded background vocals for Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica (Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli) contributing vocals to the remix of Michael Jackson's "Earth Song," and Laura Breton's Christmas Album. She was also the lead vocalist on dozens of children's songs.
Riley's online presence includes featured collaborations with David Dobrik, Jake Paul, Jason Nash, and Merrick Hanna. Her early "Musical.ly" (now TikTok) videos were also featured multiple times.
As a filmmaker, Riley wrote, directed, and edited the award-winning short "The Ultimate Sacrifice" which earned awards including Best Young Female Filmmaker at LA's Indie Short Fest, Best Short USA at Vancouver's Director's Cut, and Best Film Under 5 Minutes at the New York International Film Awards (NYIFA). It was also an Official Selection at LA's HollyShorts Monthly, Atlanta's RollCall Indie, and Italy's Golden Short Film Festival. She also directed a film for the acclaimed José Mateo Ballet Theater and created a film for Cancer Support Community Los Angeles' fundraising gala.
Riley has also served as Event Chair and Presenter for charity events benefiting City of Hope including the Halloween for Hope event co-hosted by Disney star Raven Symoné Pearman-Maday, and the Celebrity Sale 4 Hope where she co-hosted with Eric McCormack and John Schneider. The Celebrity Sale 4 Hope was a collaborative event with Cancer Support Community Los Angeles, the City of Hope Hospital, Greenlight Women, and Variety Magazine.
Riley has also gained business experience in the entertainment industry. At Propagate Content - a leading production and distribution company co-founded by former NBC President Ben Silverman - she participated in project evaluation meetings, scouted IP, and deepened her experience in the development and green-lighting process. She also interned for CAA Caravan, working directly with co-founder Leonard Brody on strategic brand ventures alongside A-list actors and athletes. As an extern for the renowned Gersh Talent Agency, she learned from accomplished agents across different departments, and as an intern for Underscore Talent she had the opportunity to scout talent, shadow team members, join agency meetings, and optimize market trends.
Further, as part of a show business family, Riley grew up attending major international film and television markets including Cannes, MIPTV, MIPCOM, Budapest, Hong Kong, Moscow, London, and Toronto, gaining exposure to the global entertainment business from an early age.
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