Daily Inspiration: Meet Brooklyn Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooklyn Jones.

Hi Brooklyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I actually started out as a rapper. But as I got older, I came to a crossroads and decided that I was too old to be rapping. Looking back, I was completely wrong! There are rappers starting their careers now who are older than I was then, but for some reason, when you’re young, you think you’re old. Haha!

I had always wanted to be some kind of performer. I come from a family of entertainers. So when I decided not to pursue rap any more, I wasn’t exactly sure what direction I wanted to go in. I just knew it would still be in entertainment. I’m naturally funny, and people were constantly telling me that I should be a comedian. One day I finally said “You know what? I’m hearing this way too much! There must be something to it if people keep saying it.” So I decided to give comedy a try. I went to a 4 week comedy workshop run by comedian Clayton Fletcher and I completely fell in love with comedy.

One part of being a comedian is producing your own shows. It’s a great way to get consistent stage time, build relationships, network, give other comedians opportunities, and connect with other producers. I had produced a few shows in the past, but I always felt like something was missing. I wanted to create something that felt different.

Then I remembered an event I attended in Brooklyn more than 10 years ago. It was a clothing swap, and I had such a great time! Everyone brought clothing and accessories, turned them in at the front and waited while everything was displayed like a store. The items were beautifully arranged on racks and shelves. There were food trucks, a DJ and everyone mixed, mingled and picked out whatever clothing items they wanted. It was such a vibe!

I reminisced about that event for years and never found another quite like it. I always said that one day I wanted to create an event like that myself. Then it came to me! Why don’t I combine that experience with comedy? And The Comedy Swap was born!

The Comedy Swap starts as a comedy show and ends as a clothing swap + mixer event. Every audience member and comedian is encouraged to bring gently used clothing, shoes and accessories. They turn them in when they arrive, and while the comedy show is happening, everything is transformed into a curated pop-up boutique. Once the show is over, the audience exits directly into the swap shop, where everyone can browse, take whatever they like, mix, mingle and hang out.

Anything that isn’t claimed is donated to charity.

The Comedy Swap is about so much more than comedy and clothes. It’s about community, sustainability, and giving items a second life instead of sending them to landfills. It creates a fun, social experience while also helping reduce fashion waste and ensuring that remaining items can go on to help people in need.

We’ve also had the opportunity to partner with Rekanize, a Black-owned footwear brand, and they’ve been fantastic! They donated The Comedy Swap x Rekanize branded tote bags, Rekanize Reviver sneaker-cleaning kits for our raffles as well as branded shoelaces and literature to include in our bags. It’s been exciting to collaborate with a brand whose products naturally align with what we are doing.

As The Comedy Swap continues to grow, I’m excited about creating more partnerships with brands and organizations that want to connect with an engaged community in a fun, authentic and meaningful way. There are so many opportunities for partners to become part of the experience, from product integration and giveaways to branded activations and community engagement.

My long-term vision is for The Comedy Swap to become a free monthly community event that people can look forward to attending, while creating opportunities for comedians, local businesses, brands and charitable organizations to come together. I really believe we’re building something special and I’m excited to continue growing it with partners who want to be part of the journey.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I actually started out as a rapper. But as I got older, I came to a crossroads and decided that I was too old to be rapping. Looking back, I was completely wrong! There are rappers starting their careers now who are older than I was then, but for some reason, when you’re young, you think you’re old. Haha!

I had always wanted to be some kind of performer. I come from a family of entertainers. So when I decided not to pursue rap any more, I wasn’t exactly sure what direction I wanted to go in. I just knew it would still be in entertainment. I’m naturally funny, and people were constantly telling me that I should be a comedian. One day I finally said “You know what? I’m hearing this way too much! There must be something to it if people keep saying it.” So I decided to give comedy a try. I went to a 4 week comedy workshop run by comedian Clayton Fletcher and I completely fell in love with comedy.

One part of being a comedian is producing your own shows. It’s a great way to get consistent stage time, build relationships, network, give other comedians opportunities, and connect with other producers. I had produced a few shows in the past, but I always felt like something was missing. I wanted to create something that felt different.

Then I remembered an event I attended in Brooklyn more than 10 years ago. It was a clothing swap, and I had such a great time! Everyone brought clothing and accessories, turned them in at the front and waited while everything was displayed like a store. The items were beautifully arranged on racks and shelves. There were food trucks, a DJ and everyone mixed, mingled and picked out whatever clothing items they wanted. It was such a vibe!

I reminisced about that event for years and never found another quite like it. I always said that one day I wanted to create an event like that myself. Then it came to me! Why don’t I combine that experience with comedy? And The Comedy Swap was born!

The Comedy Swap starts as a comedy show and ends as a clothing swap + mixer event. Every audience member and comedian is encouraged to bring gently used clothing, shoes and accessories. They turn them in when they arrive, and while the comedy show is happening, everything is transformed into a curated pop-up boutique. Once the show is over, the audience exits directly into the swap shop, where everyone can browse, take whatever they like, mix, mingle and hang out.

Anything that isn’t claimed is donated to charity.

The very first Comedy Swap event was part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest at The Crow in Santa Monica! It was so much fun and such a dope way to kickoff the show! The plan is to make it a monthly event.

The Comedy Swap is about so much more than comedy and clothes. It’s about community, sustainability, and giving items a second life instead of sending them to landfills. It creates a fun, social experience while also helping reduce fashion waste and ensuring that remaining items can go on to help people in need.

We’ve also had the opportunity to partner with Rekanize, a Black-owned footwear brand, and they’ve been fantastic! They donated The Comedy Swap x Rekanize branded tote bags, Rekanize Reviver sneaker-cleaning kits for our raffles as well as branded shoelaces and literature to include in our bags. It’s been exciting to collaborate with a brand whose products naturally align with what we are doing.

As The Comedy Swap continues to grow, I’m excited about creating more partnerships with brands and organizations that want to connect with an engaged community in a fun, authentic and meaningful way. There are so many opportunities for partners to become part of the experience, from product integration and giveaways to branded activations and community engagement.

My long-term vision is for The Comedy Swap to become a free monthly community event that people can look forward to attending, while creating opportunities for comedians, local businesses, brands and charitable organizations to come together. I really believe we’re building something special and I’m excited to continue growing it with partners who want to be part of the journey.

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

I don’t think anything worth having is ever completely smooth or easy. Being in the entertainment industry in general is an uphill battle. Being a comedian can be even more of a struggle, and then you add being black and being a woman, and that’s a whole other world of obstacles. But honestly, if it were easy, I don’t think the reward would be nearly as sweet!

One of the biggest challenges as a comedian is getting consistent stage time while also getting paid for your work. The crazy thing about comedy clubs, especially in Los Angeles, is that sometimes it feels like they want to pay everybody but the comedians! Go into any comedy club and I bet if you ask every staff member in there if they’re being paid, they’ll say “hell yes!” but ask a comedian. If they’re not a big name headliner or hosting the show, you’ll often get some saying “barely” and a bunch saying “do drink tickets count?” Haha! So even when you’re getting great stage time, you’re often making little to no money. But that’s just part of the comedy ecosystem when you’re working your way up. Stage time is still incredibly valuable because you have to get on stage to improve, be seen, network, build relationships and make a name for yourself. In many cases, especially early in your career, the opportunity and exposure are part of the value exchange while you’re building toward more paid opportunities.

For comedians, performing outside of your home city can also open the door to more opportunities and paid work. That’s one of the things I’m focused on now; learning how to network and build relationships that will help me get booked in other cities and expand my reach. Eventually I would love to take The Comedy Swap on the road and bring the experience to different cities.

Of course, taking anything on the road comes with its own challenges. You have to be able to put butts in seats! And nowadays, just being funny isn’t always enough. Bookers want to know: Do you have a social media following? Can you help promote the show? Do people engage with your content? So in addition to writing and performing comedy, you also have to consistently create funny, interesting content and build an audience online.

And let’s be honest, most comedians aren’t balling if they’re not a big name. Sometimes you have to work a day job or side hustles to fund your life and your dreams. Comedy and acting also tend to go hand in hand, so as a comedian and actor, I’m constantly navigating auditions as well. And with auditions come rejection. A lot of it! You definitely have to develop tough skin and learn not to take every “no” personally.

Right now one of my biggest goals is finding the right comedy booking agent or representative to help me take my career to the next level. I’ve built experience, developed my act, produced my own shows and created opportunities for myself and I’m ready to expand my reach. I’m looking for someone who understands my voice and my brand and can help me secure more comedy bookings, road work, corporate and private events, and other live performance opportunities.

I’m excited about where my career is headed and I know that finding the right representation could be an important part of opening the next chapter. I’ve learned how to create opportunities for myself, but I’m also ready to partner with someone who can help bring even more of those opportunities to the table.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a stand-up comedian, writer, storyteller and actor. I’m known for my stand-up comedy, quick wit and funny commentary on social media. But honestly, one of the things I’m most proud of is my perseverance. The entertainment industry is definitely not for the faint of heart. For most people, it’s a long road filled with a lot of hard work before you see any real rewards. But if you truly love what you do, you keep going because you believe the payoff will be worth it.

I’m still fairly new to the acting world, so I’m incredibly proud to have booked a few commercials already. Every booking and callback makes me proud because it lets me know I did something right and reminds me to keep moving forward. Every opportunity feels like another step in the right direction.

I’m also very proud of my writing. I recently co-wrote a feature film with Steve Royall, a talented writer and director who has produced successful indie films and web series in the past. I’m excited to see where this project takes us.

One of my biggest passions is sitcoms. I absolutely love the old-school sitcom genre and would love to see it make a real comeback. I recently wrote pilots for two sitcoms and am currently working toward getting them produced. With everything going on in the world today, I honestly think we could all use more laughter! Television seems to have moved away from the traditional sitcom, and I would love to be part of bringing that format back in a fresh way. One of my biggest dreams is to write for and eventually star in a successful sitcom of my own.

As for what sets me apart, I think it’s simply that I’m unapologetically myself. My comedy is very observational and autobiographical. I draw a lot from my own life. The things I notice and the way I see the world around me. Everyone has their own comedic voice and that’s what I love about comedy. Several comedians can talk about the same subject and each one will come at it from a completely different angle. Because we all think and see the world differently

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you’re getting into comedy or entertainment in general for the money, GO DO SOMETHING ELSE! Seriously! If you’re getting into it because you genuinely love it and have fun doing it, go for it! The money comes and goes and comes again, but you want to make sure you’re focused on developing your craft and not chasing a paycheck. If you aspire to be a comedian, put together a solid 3 Minute set and start hitting open mics in your area. That’s where you get a feel for being on stage and start figuring out what kind of comedian you are.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a lot of laughs at open mics. Most open mics are filled with other comedians who are busy worrying about their own material, so they may not be paying much attention to yours. Open mics aren’t always the best way to gauge whether you’re funny or whether a joke works with a real audience. They’re more about practice, experimenting, getting comfortable on stage and networking with other comedians. You can also learn a lot from other comedians. Sometimes they’ll give you “tags” or suggestions that can help make a joke stronger or funnier. Don’t feel like you have to use every suggestion someone gives you, but stay open to feedback. You never know what might spark an idea.

Most importantly, keep showing up. Keep writing, keep performing and keep learning. Comedy takes time. You’re going to have great sets, terrible sets, awkward sets and probably a few moments where you question all of your life choices. But that’s all part of the process. If you truly love it, stick with it and give yourself time to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thecomedyswap.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsbrooklynjones
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItsBrooklynJones/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsBrooklynJones

Image Credits
Ashley Dennis – Aqiyla Studios
Zachariah Schmitt
Jill Petracek
Haydn Jones