Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Capozzi.
Hi Mike, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Most of my childhood consisted of watching Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, The Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges movies on repeat. When I got a job at Blockbuster Video in high school, you might have thought that I was intentionally pursuing a career in entertainment but in reality, it was “just a job”. Little did I know then but that job ended up paving the way for my career as an actor. I went to college intending on playing baseball while majoring in Music (Trumpet performance). I quickly failed all my music classes which also meant I couldn’t play baseball anymore. After changing my major a few times and finally graduating after squeezing six years into my 4-year degree, I went back home to work at Blockbuster. One of my former co-workers was now working as an associate producer on a big TV show and so I flew out to visit. Not only that but it coincided with a jazz festival celebrating the life of my trumpet hero, Maynard Ferguson. I spent the week at the festival then went to a live taping of the sitcom my friend was working on… the acting bug hit way too hard but I’d never experienced a clearer vision in my entire life. There have been ups and downs, of course.
My first full year in L.A. I was scammed on an apartment and packed everything into my car, including some pillows. I sold my favorite, very rare, trumpet because it was the only thing of value that I owned but it didn’t afford me enough to get a place. Three days later I happened to book a pilot that shot in London, Paris and back in L.A. When I arrived back in town, I still didn’t have enough to get a place to live so I lived in my car. Thankfully I had some truly wonderful friends, including one who would leave her gated garage open for me to park in each night. Let’s fast forward 16 years because too many adventures happened in between. Ok, a few nutshell details to catch you up. I met Gary Austin who was the founder and original director of The Groundlings. I spent 13 years training and performing improv, excuse me, as he would call it “Improvisational Theater”, with some of the most amazing improvisors in the world. We created many wonderful characters over the years with Gary, his wife Wenndy Mackenzie and some of the other brilliant classmates but none that affected me so much as one character called Irving “Killer” Jones.
I originally created Killer as just a boxer who was hit a little too many times but we honed and developed him into something with a lot more heart. “Killer” now has his own TikTok account with currently 1.1 million followers where he has an anti-bullying platform that has become an important part of my life. I can’t tell you how many young people reach out to Killer asking for advice on kids bullying them in schools and how to deal with it. I haven’t lost the humorous part of Killer as I post plenty of comedy but the platform remains with a reminder to all just to “Be Nice” to everyone, no matter what. I’m currently developing a feature film based on the life of “Killer” Jones with my producing partner who we have more than 20 projects currently in all stages of development. Most recently I had the honor of being a part of the Apple TV+ series “5 Days at Memorial” in which I was directed by the amazing Carlton Cuse. Oh, and I ended 2022 with my first top of show guest star role which should be airing in February!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
During the year that I was scammed on that apartment, I took an overnight job folding clothes until about 5 in the morning, I’d sleep in my car until it got too hot which usually was only a couple hours because this was during the summer months. When I wasn’t parking in my good friend’s parking garage, I parked next to a gym. I’d go in, workout, shower, shave and then I’d go to a coffee shop to write until it was time to go to work. I was able to get another trumpet after I sold my old horn but it was difficult to find a place to practice so the only time I played was in the improv shows. We incorporated so much music into the shows, it was always a wonderful time but I didn’t find my joy in playing again until years later.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I met my good friend Jim Klock who has become a creative collaborator to this day as we’ve created many digital projects and several feature films together. In 2013, Klock created the series “Interrogations Gone Wrong” where two idiot detectives (Klock and myself) arrest people we have confused for certain celebrities that they believe are terrible human beings. One of those unfortunate victims was the incomparable Keanu Reeves who graciously starred in an episode where Detectives Python and Steel arrest him thinking he’s… well, you should watch the episode to find out just who these not-so-bright detectives thought Keanu was.
While my Killer Jones account is doing well on TikTok in the comedic and anti-bullying space, I started playing a lot more of the trumpet on my personal account thinking no one cared about that stuff, I just wanted an outlet to get better at the horn. The creative in me was inspired to do a bit where I split-screened myself as a crazy player and one legit player. Somehow that one video skyrocketed to 3 million views in a matter of a week and a new platform was born for me. Currently nearing 200k followers on that account, I play trumpet beside my “other self” each week both entertaining the masses and also not unsurprisingly getting some people mad at the crazy side of me playing everything up a few octaves. It has been an absolute… blast.
Finding my love for the trumpet again has inspired a different approach to my acting as well. I like to say that while it may be messy and there’ll be some “wrong” notes here and there, it will always be authentically me and I use that approach in all my creative endeavors.
What does success mean to you?
A quote I’ve remembered since college has always stuck with me. Winston Churchill said, “Success is going from failure to failure with undiminished enthusiasm.” While that might not be inspiring to some, it’s a punch in the stomach kind of encouragement that I tend to be attracted to. There will be ups and downs and I have had my share. Not to say I haven’t been down in the dumps and haven’t experienced major depression over the years but the perseverance in the midst of it is what I try to cling to.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mikecapozzi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikecapozzi/
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/c/MikeCapozzi13
- Other: tiktok.com/@mikecapozzi – also – tiktok.com/@killerjonesofficial
