Check Out JP Siruno’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to JP Siruno.

Hi JP, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story starts in the month of September on a Saturday morning, some thirty years ago (though I tell strangers it’s twenty) in the fiery pits of Hell (Yuma, Arizona). I was a mostly quiet sort of kid, very much reserved, mumbling to myself. The only person I could talk to at the time was my older sister. Some folks thought we had a secret language, but they were the only person I wasn’t deathly shy to talk to. As time passed, I became more socialable but was still an incredible introvert.

Then came a time, nearing the holidays, when my siblings and I talked about what to give our parents for Christmas. The first year we made a picture book, my sister and younger brother wrote the story, and I made the illustrations. The next year, my siblings wanted to top the previous present. My sister was getting into choir, and my brother was also musically gifted through winds and strings. They wanted to put on a whole concert and play, my first major production, and it was held in my living room. We were VHS kids, so we grew up on Rankin-Bass holiday features, so we emulated a lot from that. I recall we even had a book and script, much like a musical, and we had zero theater experience. It was through this game of play and holiday make-believe that we first got to use our storytelling chops and our love of art. That was where my love of acting, improv, writing, and creating came from, and only snowballed once high school came around.

My Brother and I were the Theatre Kids of our School, and my Sister was the Singer of our Choir. You would never have guessed it, knowing our background, three southwestern kids from a border town whose parents both worked in law enforcement. My parents were always so supportive of us, and enjoyed the times we expressed ourselves through our art. When it came time to choose our paths, my sibling and I went our separate ways. My Brother and Sister stayed in Arizona to continue their art, but silly me went to a different sort of Hell, oddly enough, the home of angels, to Los Angeles, California.
College in LA cemented my place in being an actor, comedian, and writer. It’s pretty easy to make fiction when this new reality was for lack of a better phrase, goddamn fucking nuts. Nearly killed my parents with all the shenanigans I found myself in while in LA. I was barely a teen during the housing crash, so couch-hopping to me was an all too familiar feeling when I experienced it post-college. College also prepped me for the constant rejection and overt criticisms that one tends to face here. It still hurts, but just gotta power through. It also makes for good material when you’re not being pressed down by the big sad.

Alright, 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’ve yet to meet anyone who has had a well-paved road. My was pretty bumpy, but compared to many folks I know, I would say I had it alright. The biggest obstacle I had to go through in LA was honestly trying to find a roof. For years, it took me a while to settle down in my current home, and the all-too-real threat of losing that looms over this city. But as I mentioned before, I’ve been through similar. I had too many childhood homes that when I have dreams of being a kid again, it’s never in the same place twice.

That’s the material world though, I knowin my heart that the real biggest obstacle I’ve gone through, still working on, and it’s effin’ cliche, is myself. Whether it’s a lack of confidence, drive, or motivation, or going through the rows of seasonal depression (Benadryl needs to make a pill that), I often find myself getting in my way of things. One of the great things about being in LA, though, is finding communities. LA folks tend to have blinders on and think only of themselves, but I have many friends and peers who have the same fears and doubts that I have, and we always give ourselves that good, stern talking to. In improv, the players have each other back, which is essential to have the best show you can put on, and the same applies to life.

It’s easy to fall into the pits, especially when life here is at a hundred, and we’re trying to keep up. Been trying to remind myself that life isn’t a race, and as long as you’re still moving forward with the air in your lungs with friends by your side, you’ll be alright.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an illustrating funny man trying to make people laugh through regurgitated dad jokes whilst trying to create something new with some dusty old clay I found in the corner of the room, also known as someone with Actor/Writer/Comedian in their bio and business cards.

I’ve done mostly independent work being a writer/performer and have done stand-up and improv around LA. I like mostly making my own little sketches, whether it be on paper or on the stage. I always had a drive to tell short morality tales in my work, but with a zany twist. I think all stories need to have a lesson and strive to make an impact on the audience, but I can’t help but add some batshit nonsenicle mud at the wall to it while having fun.

Before brainrot, I would frequent absurd comedies on the web, and folks that love to poke at one’s side with a bit of pop to them. My biggest inspirations were Smosh, Don Hertzfeldt, Jason Steele of FilmCow, Weird Al Yankovic, and Bo Burnham. The Warner Bro’s cartoons and SpongeBob were also in my line of sight, so I have great admiration for toons and animations.

I’ve done my best to use this inspiration in my art and storytelling through stage, film, and also trying to make cartoons myself.

I’m just a loud, crazy person trying to get a rise out of anyone around me. I absolutely love to laugh, and being able to make someone else feel the same is something I’m immensely proud of.

Right now, I’m in post-production of a short that I’ve written, directed, and starred in (I’m both selfish and poor), a bright and fun puppet show I named “Dad n’ Son”. Its visuals are mostly borrowing from old PBS shows, but the soul of it comes from everything that I love in great comedies, in pop culture, and the importance I have in family.
It’s been a slow project, and has had its bumps and I’m sure that it’ll worth it in the end and look forward to sharing soon.

How do you define success?
Success isn’t a word I use often, but as someone who’s always hard on themselves, I’m learning to accept the word more. probably should. In life, success is being able to be proud of the work you’ve done and knowing that you gave it your all. I have done many projects that led nowhere, got derailed, or did not meet my expectations, but even then, I can find success in each work. Learning from our shortcomings and failures is the key to moving forward. Fear of failure can make someone content with no longer striving to find work or create new things, but how will you know something will fail if you don’t even try? This is something I still struggle with and have to remind myself of constantly. Belief in yourself and allowing yourself to fail while giving it a hundred percent is the way to success, in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/jpsiruno
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpsiruno
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpsirunoact
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jp-siruno
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JPSiruno
• Other: https://imdb.me/JPSiruno

Image Credits
A4S Podcast Studios
Bill Kelly
Carrie-ann Pishnak
Christopher Aaron Knarr
Cecilia Orduño Siruno
Daryl Jim Diaz
Lilton Stewart III
MacCallister Byrd
Mykayla Booth
Myles Grey
Raffael Ponce-Valencia
Ulrik Engeldahl Leskovsky