Meet Dan Pena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Pena.

Dan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started out acting at the tender age of 3. I was Schroeder in a community theater production of You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. Since then I’ve been in several performances off-broadway in New York and appeared a minor roles on television and film. I attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with a double major in acting and general awesomeness with a minor in musical theater. I studied improv at UCB East in New York and moved to Los Angeles to study at the Groundlings School of Wizardry and Improv. I started doing stand up comedy shortly after because that’s where the big bucks are and I have since headlined around the country and performed internationally, having just performed recently in Tokyo, Japan, and Columbus, OH. I appear in the upcoming indie film The Sound of Settling as the sassy, cat-loving, restaurant manager, Mike. I was recently named Best of the Fest at the Burbank Comedy Festival and got the representation that way. Shout out to my agent, Stu Golfman, at KMR. You sexy beast!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say the journey has been smooth or rough. It’s like the 405 freeway. Some bumps, lots of waiting, some progress, and a lot of patience but always knowing you are headed to your destination. All your training is like Google Maps or Waze, I guess. Be cautious which one you use. Any lead, connection, or advantage in the industry is like sneaking into the HOV lane. I’ve digressed way too much on this analogy. I’m having fun. I’ve been very fortunate to be given the opportunities that I have. Shout out to Sepulveda for making the journey more enjoyable. I guess stand up is my Sepulveda. Just another means to an end. Ugh. We get it. LA has traffic!

Alright – so let’s talk about your work – what should we know?
My business is myself, so I have to constantly be proactive. A company that doesn’t advertise doesn’t get much clientele. So I’m always seeking out more opportunities to grow my brand, either through more stand up shows, appearing on podcasts, filming my own sketches or short films. I’m mostly known for comedy. It’s what I enjoy the most.
I think what sets me apart from most other comics is my point of view. A lot of my influence is from Jim Gaffigan and Sebastian Maniscalco. I emulate Gaffigan’s squeaky clean approach (no curse words or over the top sexual content) and Maniscalco’s style of talking about growing up and family dynamics. Thus, I’m a clean comic that talks about growing up as a white kid in a Cuban family.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the most important characteristics that have contributed to my success are hard work and persistence. It doesn’t sound glamorous, but it’s true. Every laugh I get during my set is the result of countless hours writing, editing and polishing my work and when people say, “I think I can do that.” it’s a tremendous compliment to me because I’ve inspired someone and I’ve made it look easy and fun. Which it is, well, fun but not always easy. Even the most unfunny person can be hilarious if you follow the basic joke structure and put forth effort to make your jokes as sharp as Ganzo knives. The persistence is just never giving up. If a joke bombs, move on fast to the next joke. Later take a look at why that didn’t work and try to adapt it so that it will work. If you miss an opportunity, move on to the next one. DON’T. GIVE. UP. They don’t teach you the business part of show business in acting school or improv class. You just have to learn it and take it as seriously as your craft.

Boom shaka-laka

Contact Info:

• Instagram: iamdanpena
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamdanpena/
• Twitter: iamdanpena

Image Credit:
Kenneth Dolin

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