Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Wassell.
Kyle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been into storytelling and mischief, so it makes sense I would end up in LA. But, I never planned to do this. Growing up in the DC suburbs, it seemed too far-fetched that I could work in show business one day. But, in 2012, my then-girlfriend-now-wife’s family offered to let us stay in her grandmother’s old house. So, Katrina and I moved to Orange County together. There, I got the opportunity to co-produce weekly comedy shows with the bi-coastal brand Comedy Juice and started racking up connections and stage time. I’m incredibly grateful to people like Mark Serritella, Ben Gleib, John Talaoc, Chris Millhouse, Raymond Montoya, Chris Burns, and Steve Hofstetter for giving me that chance and space to get started. Comedy Juice now runs more shows than ever all over Southern California, New York, and recently Philadelphia. I can’t recommend enough that you check them out.
From there, I started commuting to LA from OC once or twice a week to perform, hang out, and go to shows and panels that inspired me. Each time I went out, I seemed to meet someone or learn something that pushed my entertainment career forward. I even met Seth Rogen on the streets of West Hollywood, showing me that it was possible to get some facetime with people I really admire. So, in a move that has been described as very 80’s, I started crashing movie premieres and award shows to create opportunities to get to know creators I look up to. As much fun as that was (and it was really fun) it’s not the most practical way to break into the business. It did show me the “DIY” nature of success in the arts. I grew up in punk bands so I was well aware of the concept, but now I was starting to see how it could be practically applied to my new career goals of writing and directing my own stories. That’s when things started to click.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
So far my business has been mostly writing screenplays and hustling to get them read around town. It can be incredibly difficult but ultimately just as rewarding due to the personal nature of writing. When someone you respect likes your work, it’s a massive boost to your self-esteem that can power you through the hard times for years to come.
In 2014, I saw (on a website called CharityBuzz) that my hero, Judd Apatow, was auctioning off a lunch with him. It was expected to go for around $5,000. With the help of Katrina, I launched a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising the money and bidding on the auction. To our amazement, we raised $5,375 in 13 days from friends, family, and one Maserati-driving stranger I chased down and convinced to give me $200 (like, “come on man, I know you got money!”). The night before the auction ended, we realized weren’t going to win as the bids rose to about $10,000. Katrina and I decided to throw up one last hail mary. We crashed the premiere of The Other Woman starring Judd’s wife Leslie Mann with the intent of telling Judd about the money we raised. I got my opportunity at the after-party. We saw Judd exiting his car and I pitched him right then on the stairs. I told him about the money and what his work means to me, and I handed him a flyer that linked to our crowdfunding page with the note: “I didn’t make it to $10,000 but, who knows, maybe we can get lunch together one day anyway.”
The next day, I got a call from Apatow Productions telling me that Judd agreed to have lunch with me when he got back from filming Trainwreck in New York. That call and the subsequent celebration with Katrina was one of the happiest moments of my life. And, while having lunch with Judd was always the goal, I was actually afforded other opportunities on top of this. From the beginning, I committed the money I raised to Stuart House of Los Angeles. Since I couldn’t afford Judd’s auction lot, I bid on a few others that supported the same charity. Through that, I was able to perform with Bill Bellamy all over Southern California, as well as spend a day at Funny or Die. That visit, plus a year of follow-up, turned into a freelance production assistant job with FOD, which turned into jobs at other companies like BuzzFeed, MTV, and BET. I definitely credit that fundraiser and auction for kick-starting my career. I can’t recommend the intersection of philanthropy and entertainment enough. Everybody wins.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There’s nothing smooth about working in the entertainment business. From part-time work to long hours, to endless rejection; it’s tough. But, the tricks are to find your community and take care of your mental health. For me, the first half of that was easy. I just hung out at The Moth, The Comedy Store, and The Improv and quickly developed a group of peers I could work on projects with. The hard part was mental health. When I convinced Judd to have lunch with me, it took three years, nine months, and one week for us to finally have that meal. It took three assistants, a half dozen doctors, and the hair from my yarmulke region to get it scheduled but we sat down on February 12th of last year. We talked about movies and comedy, and he shared the trailer for his new Garry Shandling documentary with me on his phone. At that moment, I felt very connected to my hero. His company agreed to read my scripts and I just got my first round of notes from them a few months ago. This was all amazing but these efforts were the catalyst for recognizing that I had developed a pretty intense anxiety disorder, which is something I still struggle with today and will likely struggle with for the rest of my life.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has played a big role in my life and the lives of most people working in Hollywood. I like to think that I created some of it myself, but in many cases, I was just in the right place at the right time. I was lucky that I fell in love with a wonderful California girl while living in Philadelphia who had a place to stay near Los Angeles. I was lucky that I moved to a town with its own major comedy club. I was lucky that I happened to see that Judd was participating in this auction. For all of this good fortune, I am endlessly grateful. But, I did constantly try to put myself in positions to get lucky… so to speak. Basically, I hung out a lot, which is already a representation of luck. I was lucky enough to have a financially stable family and romantic life that allowed me to go to events by myself and meet as many people as possible. I try to recognize how privileged I have been over the course of my life and do my best to pay it forward.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kylewassell
- Twitter: @kylewassell
- Other: https://vimeo.com/263912446
Image Credit:
Brad Tiemann, Amrit Bhavinani, Camarie McBride
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