Founders Story
Tobias James , the founder of Smoke N Jerk was born in Birmingham and given up by his biological mother from 6 months old due to drugs and addiction.
He was adopted at the age of 3 years old which only lasted until he was 10 years old due to unforeseen circumstances, the adoption broke down. This resulted in him being placed back into foster care until he was 19. Thereafter, he departed from the care system in 2013.
He left Birmingham and moved to South London, to a time where you would only survive by being street smart and tough skinned. Failure was no longer a stranger to him, as he failed all of his exams during school. He struggled to find work due to his circumstances, misguidance and lack of education, as he left school with no GCSEs. The stigma hung over him with the fact he was a care leaver with criminal convictions, his circumstances and the reality of always being marginalized just by the way he looked, the way he spoke, and the colour of his skin was truly overwhelming.
In 2014 he sadly suffered a heart attack episode and struggled with his mental health. Even with the unstable and dysfunctional upbringing, Tobias James had an unstoppable driving force that no matter what was thrown at him, he still preserved.