Jacob Collins

Behind the stage lights, Jacob Collins is a movie theatre employee who’s passionate about entertainment, writing, and being a good friend. In front of the stage lights, Super Jacob lights up in the form of a crime-fighting, comedic superhero ready to take on the toughest of villains in the name of love and community. These are two versions of the same East Tennessee man with autism eager to improve your day with a laugh and encourage you to be yourself.

“Oh yes, I am glad to be myself,” Jacob said. “I am glad to be the good way God made me. I like showing people some funny stuff. It makes me feel very proud.”

Super Jacob first took the stage in 2019 at the Creative Theatre in Pigeon Forge where Jacob and his dad, Michael, had volunteered to usher before it closed down in 2020. But this superhero’s origin story goes several years back. While Jacob was in grade school, he began bringing home handwritten one-page papers covered with the adventures and heroics of a man dressed in a white karate gi and a brilliant blue cape with the letters SJ on his back.

“It was about me. Saving a rose,” Jacob added. “I gained the upper hand to defeat the bad guy once and for all. He just does his thing. I plan on writing a lot more.”

He has written a lot more. There’s now a notebook full of Super Jacob stories with up to 183 seasons on paper. Jacob’s family has been excited about his storytelling since the beginning and are happy he’s found something he loves to do.

“I mean it is pretty amazing because Jacob was non-verbal for so many years and he did a decade of speech therapy. I couldn’t have imagined back then what he would be today,” Michael said. “It's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pages of writing that he's done always by hand. It's just so cool to see what he's developed into and that he's found a creative outlet.”

It was Jacob’s dad and the community theatre that helped him turn the first season into a play. The Creative Theatre liked his work and offered their stage and production resources to bring the story to life. That’s when Michael and Jacob sat down together to type out the script. Several rehearsals, costume designs, and stage changes later, and Super Jacob Saves a Rose was performed in front of a full and captive audience with laughter and applause. In the video posted on Youtube, Jacob is seen smiling ear to ear.

Like most things, the pandemic put a pause on any additional performances. While the theatre was shut down, Jacob kept writing and went on to graduate from Sevier County High School in 2020. Because his graduation wasn’t what he hoped, Michael worked with an artist to do something special for him so that he could continue sharing his stories with the community. When Jacob opened up the gift, he held what was his Super Jacob Saves a Rose turned into a colorful comic book. He laughed in surprise and amazement as he looked through all the drawn images before looking up at Michael and saying, “Dad! Woah!” He was thrilled.

“It's kind of the gift that keeps on giving now. So, we've had multiple print runs on it and he hands them out to everybody he meets,” Michael explained. “I think it just brings joy to a lot of folks and it's a really neat thing.”

Jacob is ready to get back in front of the stage lights and says he’s already working on the sequel script for Super Jacob and the Impractical Joker. “We're trying to make it more special this time and also funny where it keeps people entertained,” he said.

When Jacob isn’t working on his script, he enjoys keeping up with the latest Monster Jam events, watching his favorite animated movies, and learning about the voice actors who perform in them. At his job at Forge Cinemas in Pigeon Forge, he likes to talk to customers about the voices behind their favorite characters while taking their tickets. He dreams of being a voice actor one day, maybe even as Super Jacob in cartoon form playing on the big movie screen.

“You know, I would just encourage people to engage or hire persons with disabilities or autism,” Michael said. “Jacob is a great example of how much joy and passion they can bring to an organization.”

You can watch Jacob Saves a Rose performed live at the Creative Theatre on Youtube at this link: https://youtu.be/Bd6KQrN8BeM