Today we’d like to introduce you to JP Brown.
Hi JP, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I originally started Stand-up Comedy in 2000 back in Toronto, Canada, then quit in 2004. When I moved down to Los Angeles in 2008, I mainly did it to focus on & further my acting career. Eventually, though, I got re-inspired to get back onstage.
How? Well, I was watching that documentary, Zeitgeist, and I heard an audio clip from the legendary George Carlin, and I was like, “Holy sh*t! This guy is brilliant!” I always knew about Carlin, but I slept on a lot of his body of work.
So, I decided to take a deep dive into the rabbit hole, and check out more of his comedy specials, interviews, etc. I also started watching other stand-up comedians: Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Joe Rogan, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, John Mulaney, Katt Williams, Mike Epps, Trevor Noah, Bill Maher, Jim Gaffigan, and my all-time favorite & main inspiration, Patton Oswalt.
Eventually, I said, “F**k it. Let’s get back on the stage!”. And, since then, I haven’t stopped. Full steam ahead!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely HAS NOT been a smooth road. Not on the outside, nor on the inside. What I mean by that is this:
On the outside, there’s been a ton of obstacles, one of the biggest being the COVID pandemic. In January 2020, I had my very first 5-night road gig. I’d been on the road before, mind you, for various comedy festivals. But THIS one was fully-paid, and fully accommodated, and I was performing 35-minute sets. Once I saw my paycheck, I was like, “Holy shit… I’m a working comic!” That same year, I had a bunch of paid shows lined up at casinos across California. But then, COVID hit, lockdown happened, and all those gigs went away. Once the lockdown was lifted, it felt like I was starting all over again, from scratch.
On the inside: It’s never easy dealing with inner negative thoughts: Feeling like I’m “not good enough,” or “not smart enough,” “not talented enough,” “feeling like ‘the industry doesn’t want me,” feelings of comparing myself unfavorably to other comedians, etc… It can even affect you physically like you wanna be productive and keep going, but you can’t because of this constant state of Analysis Paralysis that’s stunting your growth. Something I still deal with to this day.
Thank Cthulhu that I have my therapist to help me break down these mental blocks, and get out of my own way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a Stand-Up Comedian & Actor based out of Los Angeles, CA.
I entertain audiences with my vast array of voices, characters, and stories of being a Video Gamer, as well as my thoughts on dating & relationship memes, toxic masculine “bros”, traveling, Racism, “talking white”, people who say “Back in my day…”, and dark holidays.
I can be seen on Episode 10 of The Comedy Parlor on the Dame Dash Network, and most recently, on AFV (Always Funny Videos) on Pluto TV.
What sets me apart from others is… well… I’m ME. I’m not gonna try to be like other comics. I can only be ME. My only goal when I’m onstage is to bring you into MY world and have you be glad that I did.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I loved joking around, being the occasional class clown, and being athletic — even though I hated being on school teams. TRANSLATION: I sucked at sports. LOL (Shrug).
I always loved to entertain people and make them laugh. There was something about seeing everyone in a great mood that made me feel good, so I did this whenever I could.
On the flip side, I was a very shy kid at times, especially when it came to shooting my shot with girls that I liked. I was a mess!
Other than that, I loved athletic activities, cartoons, movies (Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy, etc.), video games, and various genres of music.
Oh, I also hated my schools.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisisjpbrown
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisisjpbrown
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/thisisjpbrown
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/thisisjpbrown
- Other: www.twitch.tv/thisisjpbrown
Image Credits
Greg Feiner and Amanda Cohen
