Today we’d like to introduce you to Joon Lee.
Joon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Guam (go-to fun fact) and moved to Dirty South Georgia a few years later. I spent the majority of my life there, attending and graduating from the University of Georgia. I majored in Advertising and minored in Communications, landing a prestigious summer internship in New York City post-grad. Ever since I was four, my first dream was to be an entertainer, and I could never quite shake it off. But it wasn’t until I was in my twenty’s that I finally decided to pursue that dream. I never had formal acting training or schooling growing up, but I drew so much inspiration and practice within my household. Being the baby of my family, I imitated my family members and was the class clown. My mom genuinely worried I would become a problem child. Turns out, I was just a harmless jester.
Making someone have a deep belly laugh is the greatest feeling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There was a period of four months when I was living at my parent’s where I wanted to quit. Every night, I told myself I should stop wasting time and get a real job. I would hear my parents wake up at 5am to get ready for work, which weighed heavier on my conscience. It was an arduous four months. I’m glad I was silly enough to persevere.
One of my proudest accomplishments upon moving to LA is never working a part-time job. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t broke or depressed, haha. It is impressive what we are capable of when our backs are against the wall.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor, emcee, and content creator. I specialize in comedy and comedic sketches. Shout out to all the content creators. I believe content creators are future directors in the making.
I recently hit the milestone of my life by landing my first series regular role on an upcoming Netflix show called The Brothers Sun. I’ve always wanted to be part of the starting five on a basketball team, and I achieved that dream through acting. I’m so cool.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Two key moments.
The summer internship in New York was the comma of my life. Two weeks into it, I hated it. I called my bluff of wanting to be a star and finally decided to give this thing a go. To no surprise, I did not get a job offer from BBDO.
My 2019 resolution was to decide if I’m staying in Georgia or moving to the land of Hollywood. After a spontaneous phone call with a friend, I told my parents I was moving to LA four days later. On top of that, I drove coast to coast by myself in my little Honda Fit. If I could accomplish that, I could handle whatever comes my way.
Shout out to Aimee Song. She was the first person to reach out upon arrival and was my first LA collab. We went on to create several hits. Aimee was welcoming and surprisingly comedic. Forever grateful <3
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/joonleecomedy
- Facebook: facebook.com/joonleecomedy
- Twitter: twitter.com/joonleecomedy
- Youtube: youtube.com/joonleecomedy
Image Credits
Jill Petracek
