Conversations with Jason

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason.

Hi Jason, 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?
In 2008, while still in my undergrad studies, seemingly out of nowhere, I won 1 million dollars on the NBC game show “1 vs. 100”. So I had this amazing seed money to chase my dreams before I was mature enough to fully understand what those were. All my life I wanted to be an actor, and when I wanted to be an actor in LA, I started by taking improv classes at the Groundlings. And from there I discovered the LA Comedy Connection as well as UCB. While taking improv classes at LA Comedy Connection, which is located in Burbank, a classmate mentioned how there was a standup comedy club down the street, Flappers. He said they had open spots there for new comedians, but don’t bother taking their standup classes. So of course I took all of Flappers stand up classes, and the club gave me my first standup shows I ever did, first student showcases and later standalone shows. I did that for a few years, but after moving to LA full time I started networking and doing more standup shows at different clubs. I also finished UCB’s curriculum in improv and sketch, and just recently finished Writing Lab at the Groundlings. On top of dramatic acting work with Lauren Nadler and Howard Fine, among others. And all that work and education put me where I am today. I’m now a tenured emcee/host at Flappers Comedy Club, hosting shows and mics every month, and performing all over the state. I perform improv and sketch with creators all across the country. I have a commercial agent and a manager, and I’m working every day for that big break into being a full time working actor/comedian that everyone who knows me knows that I am ready for.

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 have not have a smooth road, but I have my family to thank for not letting me feel too harshly the bumps that came up along the way. While my health was stabilized and I did ok, I had a mental health challenge coming out of undergraduate studies, which delayed my finishing my bachelors degree, and also delayed my eventual enrollment in graduate school. Feeling pressure to monetize my creative instincts, I turned against my internal needs to study acting and instead went to film school. It’s odd to think that I thought that film school was the “safe option”, and it wasn’t. It was very costly to produce my way through my MFA degree, and it precipitated what would end up being the gradual decline of my personal savings from my game show earnings. And after all that work for that film school degree, I had to deal with the fact that I did not have a reliable day, job, and I wanted less to direct movies than to act in them. My parents helped me (and are still helping me a lot) move to Los Angeles so I could chase my acting dreams, but I have yet to achieve the success that I hoped I would. I have made marginal gains, getting a commercial agent a manager, booking a few acting jobs and standup gigs here and there, it’s a daily struggle to manage my meager finances with this unreliable career I’ve chosen. I’m in a healthy place, and I’m grateful for the gains I’ve made and am confident that I can make it, but without the support of my family as well as my friends and regular meditation, I don’t know if I could handle the daily struggle I find myself in.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor, standup comedian, writer, and content producer. I am known for an irreverent, nerdy style of creating comedy, with lots of vintage knowledge peppered in. I’m like an old soul who’s funny. I have a very bombastic, silly, theatrical approach to writing and delivering jokes. I am known for my hosting work at Flappers Comedy Club, hopefully for supporting other comedians always willing to collaborate with others to get a laugh from an audience. I am most proud of my social media content, “@jasonluna1vs100” on Youtube/Tiktok/IG, as I have committed to multiple video uploads a week for the past few months and have grown my audience organically. What separates me from most comedians is my strong writing skills, as well as my background in video editing that gives my content a presentational edge.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is that if you focus on yourself and take care of your work, you can do great things. You can’t take what other people do and have it adversely affect how you operate. And on a similar note, assuming the best of people can often be disappointing, but it is the best thing for staying positive.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jasonluna1vs100
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-luna-5850904/
• Twitter: @jasonluna1vs100
• Youtube: @jasonluna1vs100

Image Credits
Fourth Wall Comedy Cafe, Flappers Comedy Club, Joanna Degeneres