Check Out Charlotte Jolley’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Jolley.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I guess there is no better way to start off than- hello. So, hello! My name is Charlotte Jolley (pronounced like, holly jolly, so it really has it’s moments during this time of year).
I was born in Hawaii and grew up moving around a lot, although I spent most of my childhood in Japan. I moved to the U.S. when I was about 15 or 16 and went to three high schools. One in Japan, one in this wicked small town in Montana (I mean small in that way that my friend graduated 3rd in his class AND last in his class from this high school), and then finally I graduated from a high school in Massachusetts. I then went to college in Texas, lived in Europe briefly, and found my way to the West Coast where I now am!

I say all this because I believe that your experiences are partial curators of your creativity; of the way you see the world and how that is reflected in your art. Before I moved out to LA, I was actually a middle school teacher (which was NOT my calling, but certainly made me funnier and gave me great material lol), and with every “oop- that-wasn’t-meant-for-me” experience, it has helped further deepen and develop me into the person I now am and carve ways for the experiences that are meant for me.

I have always been an advocate of the bold moves, particularly in an industry where if you don’t come from money or connections, you are really at the mercy of luck or doing something that’s never been done before; bold things. I think the answer is somewhere in the middle- working hard and doing a “conventional path” as well as doing something bold.

Which is why I did something as bold as getting billboards for Adam Sandler that read “I’m Going To Go Work For You Adam” which ultimately led to his team contacting me, and potentially pitching a script and video pitch to their team (TBD). I’ve met celebrities on the side of the street and yelled at them to check their DM’s which actually got me responses and relationships. I’ve handed out flyers on the side of the road to get hired and noticed, and although much of this may seem risky, it’s come with results!

My ultimate dream is to act in the stuff I write, to be the curator of my own art, and to also make others laugh. The reason I looked up to Adam Sandler so much is because he’s done everything in his career that I would ever want to do- from standup to owning his own production company to acting in his own stuff to releasing comedy music and staying grounded as a parent. I’ve realized recently that it is time for me to build up my own Charlotte empire rather than form it around other already established people’s, and that is what I think I am heading toward.

So I am very fortunate to have recently gotten some investors for my new film and comedy music video; to have this much autonomy and agency over my career and for that I am so excited! This newest chapter looks like my new comedy album release, building my online social media presence, and starting the pre-production of my third script.

LA is the city of boldness, of creatives, and the birth of so much art that impacts and effects people for years to come. In the same way that I watched, laughed at, and cried to so much media all the way from across the country as a kid, I hope to be the inspiration for others one day.
Maybe some little girl in a small corner of the world will watch something I’ve written, acted in, or joked about on stage and feel moved. That’s the goal. Thank you for reading and listening! Happy holidays.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road. In fact, whatever the antonym of smooth is which I believe is “rough” is the type of road this has been.
Hollywood is famously the land of dreams- but it is also the land of broken promises. I think there is so much in this life out of our control and that is deeply reflective in Hollywood. So many things have to line up for your “big break” to happen, and particularly for those of us coming from outside of a seemingly esoteric community. There have multiple times in my career where I was told something huge was going to happen, been promised something, or been possibly lied to- and the worst part is just getting back up again. Keeping the faith. This industry is very hard for a reason.
On top of that, being in your 20’s is already insanely confusing but tangling that with such a tumultuous industry is twice the battle. I also found out a few years ago that I have a really bad back issue that has caused so many issues and tons of medical debt- a chronic condition I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.
So things like that out of our control in conjunction with keeping the faith of the Hollywood dream is NOT easy; but it is a testament to how badly I want it. Because if I could do something else, I really think I would. Not to mention the men of Hollywood…. evil (kidding) (no, actually, I’m not). Boys in LA might be the biggest distraction and bump in the road than all else!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work in comedy; standup, writing (I used to ghost write for comedians now I do standup myself). I was just in New York for a small tour, I write (features, pilots, comedy music), and 2026 is the year for some of it to finally be released/shot!

I am most proud of my scripts- writing something so long is such a solitary experience, but once it’s finally made and you’ve convinced others of it’s merit, it becomes such a community thing. From the experience on set to others finally watching it- it goes from something solitary to something beautifully social.

Everything I write about has some level of importance to me, and some of my stories are taken from hardships from my life but turned into art, and for that I am very proud.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
In the world? Of course the most basic of all answers which is still true is my family and friends, those who I love and who are dear to me.

I also think something that has always been important to me is living a vibrant and fulfilled life; garnering so many life stories and experiences that it overflows my cup. I’ve been so fortunate to see so much of the world and continue to do so- I think my life motto is “whatever makes the better story”. Maybe that will change as I age, but so far, we remain in this.

Living life for the story while also remaining a good person, a kind friend, and someone who loves others is important. This city will swallow you up if you do not give out real love and receive real love from those around you; that might be the most invaluable thing in Hollywood or in all of life.

In terms of the industry, protecting the integrity of my art is very important to me. <3

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlotterosejolley/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chartysworld
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chartysworld?lang=en