Meet Danielle Arce

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Arce.

Danielle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started stand-up comedy in June 2011, after years of acting and improv experience. I wanted to learn how to write and give myself a challenge that wasn’t like memorizing a script or playing off of anyone else. I was also frustrated with how expensive it is to keep up with being an actor and how expensive continuing improv training was, along with the boredom I felt.

Once I discovered stand-up, I immediately loved the challenge – there is nothing else like it to me. I did my first comedy open mic on June 1st, 2011 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I did stand-up for about six months as a side project. I took about a year off, as I was unsure as to what my path was (acting or comedy). In the Fall of 2012, about ten months into living in Los Angeles, I worked on a web series with my good friend and brilliant comic, Erik Escobar. He loved my personality and told me to give stand-up another shot. I was hesitant.

The next day, I had an audition for a commercial, where they asked me to do 4-6 minutes of stand-up for them since it was listed as a skill in my resume. I took a moment, said, “F*ck it,” and then made them laugh for 5 minutes. The rush I felt was like nothing else I could describe. I fell in love with stand-up right then and there, and I haven’t stopped since. Since then, I’ve lived in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Japan, and now I am back permanently in Los Angeles. I’ve performed in various venues all over the country and overseas in Japan and Australia. I am very excited for where else comedy will take me.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road whatsoever. During this journey, I was also married for 4.5 years to someone in the military, so I was forced to live in a couple of cities that weren’t ideal for a bit. Looking back, it all made me a better comedian and person, overall. I’ve gone through (and am still going through) many peaks and valleys with this comedy journey. Now that I have been back in Los Angeles for a little over two years, I am truly working harder than ever. Since the start of my stand-up journey, I’ve personally gone through (and am still going through) many financial struggles, loss of loved ones (family, friends), a divorce, and much more in between. But one thing remains constant in my life – Comedy. I am thankful for my tenacity and I don’t ever see myself giving up this career path for anything in the world.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am a stand-up comedian. I am known for being vulnerable and introspective. I am a mixed breed in many ways. I am half Latina, half Italian, and I am bisexual. I don’t typically live my life by any mold, and I am proud of who I am and how I am evolving. I am not afraid to be completely exposed and share my truest inner thoughts for the sake of humor. I think what sets me apart is that I can’t be pinpointed into any specific category. I am not very feminine, but I am also not very masculine. I have a very unique perspective on life and my personal experiences have shaped the way I write and perform, and no one else has my brain nor my experiences. I am a little firecracker.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I truly hope that I am able to make a living from comedy in the next 5-10 years. I do not do any of it for the money; anyone who is trying to do this career for the money would be absolutely insane, but I’d like to one day say that I could pay my bills by doing the career that fulfills my soul the most. I foresee more wonderful opportunities, and I hope that my hard work will be recognized at the right time. I am not in a rush, as I know we all have our own paths as individuals, but I do look forward to future television appearances, great spots at the best clubs all over the country and hopefully the world, and everything and anything else that comes with it. I just want to write, tell jokes, and make people laugh. I’m going to be doing it forever, anyway, no matter what, so let’s hope it’ll turn into a viable career for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.daniellearce.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/daniellearcecomedy
• Facebook: facebook.com/daniellearcecomedy
• Twitter: twitter.com/daniellearce

Image Credit:
Gregory Ontiveros (ontiveros.co), Laugh Lounge

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