Meet Jenn Starr

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenn Starr.

Jenn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Grew up with a Hollywood obsessed family in Springfield, Oregon. The dream of being an actress stemmed from that excitement. As a kid, I would force my younger siblings to perform original plays on top our picnic table. If I was lucky Dad would let me use his video camera to film and edit movies. From a young age, I knew where I belonged, and what made me happy.

In high school, I was shy and socially awkward, so of course the theatre program was a great fit. Being apart of an ensemble pulled me out of my shell, and gave me the confidence to direct plays, as well as produce the school’s talent show. After I graduated, I saved up money for a year and moved to Los Angeles. I attended New York Film Academy (yes, in Hollywood) to study acting for film and television. After graduating, I knew Los Angeles is where I belonged.

After several cringe-worthy auditions, I signed up for improv classes. My hopes were to use those skills to feel more comfortable auditioning. Ended up realizing that pursuing comedy was the next right move. I joined my college’s improv team and was brave enough to take stand up classes in Hollywood. Those classes led me to be invited to clubs such as The Comedy Store, and Flappers to perform stand up.

The next right move for me was to create online comedic content, “Jenn Starr Showw”. At first it seemed as such a daunting task. I didn’t know where to begin, but I was lucky to have my supportive friend and roommate, Nicole by my side. If something I filmed wasn’t funny to her, then I would try something new. That support gained my confidence. Right away, I enrolled at Second City (yes, in Hollywood), a school that teaches improv and writing for sketch. I was creating content for “Jenn Starr Showw”, as I was learning how to write sketches. On top of that, teaching myself on-set production, post-production, and marketing.

After two years, I graduated from Second City, advanced my skills at a writer, producer, and editor by simply being both consistent and persistent. In the beginning it wasn’t easy, because I had to learn so much at once. In return, I learned to not wait until one’s “ready.” Success is abstaining from the fear of imperfection. That’s what “Jenn Starr Showw” is about; embracing flaws in not only one’s self but in other people.

Currently, I’m on season 5 of “Jenn Starr Showw”. Episodes come out every other Wednesday (Wild Wednesdays) on my YouTube channel, as well as my Instagram. In addition, I’m a proud member of an all-female digital sketch team, “Bad Sass Comedy” (Alison Thalhammer, Jenna Reilly, Kristin Wall). Our episodes come out every Wednesday on YouTube.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, but I choose the path less traveled by. I mean, I’m a 30 years old woman who plays dress up, and films it for strangers on the internet. It’s crazy. I constantly feel like I’m driving up a steep cliff, led by something inside that’s bigger than me. Balancing survival jobs, and managing time to create comedy is a struggle. I’ve been challenged in many ways. I’ve experienced death in the family, as well as my friend Nicole passing away. Meanwhile, rent’s still due. I had to learn how to think outside myself and turn what I was feeling into something positive for someone else. What I do is a lot of late nights, keeping my head down to work. Not a lot of going out with friends and dating. In return, no paycheck, but the belief that time spent will pay off.

Please tell us about Jenn Starr Showw.
“Jenn Starr Showw” started three years ago. It is a digital sketch comedy show that is available on Youtube, and has appeared on Funny or Die, Comedy Cake, and WhoHaha. I play every character, write, film, and edit each episode. The show specializes in original characters, as well as impersonations. My show is known to be goofy, dry humor that tells stories through sketch, ignoring the typical three beat structure. What sets me apart from other comedians is that I have a strong understanding of film production. I know exactly what I want the end result to be. I have the skills to get it done on my own instead on relying on a third-party to interpret my vision.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In five years, I see all comedians doing exactly what I’m doing now; self-reliant when it comes to production. It will be much more competitive, and the content will become much shorter (due to attention span). It already doesn’t seem like one needs to be a trained comedian to make funny content. Therefore, much more content will be available from every direction.

In ten years, I worry that creators will get so caught into making the shortest content that the art of comedy will in ways be depleted; quantity vs. quality. More specially, the way in which we communicate and connect is changing. We are always on our phones; all receiving similar information. I feel that lack of human one on one communication and allowed time for introspective thinking will in some ways be ignored. In short, storytelling will change, but people will always laugh. My hope for the future is that people still take the time to connect with both themselves and the people around them, by sharing stupid jokes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youtube.com/JennStarrShoww
• Phone: 8184300474
• Email: jennstarrshoww@gmail.com
• Instagram: @jennstarrshoww
• Facebook: @jennstarrshoww
• Twitter: @jennstarrshoww
• Other: . https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCILxjzqJRCthxcT3-r1X5SA

Image Credit:
Chris Greenwell, Bad Sass Comedy

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.