Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Hardy.
Hi Shannon, 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?
After I graduated USC’s film school, I had bad break-up with a comic and started jogging like I was training for the Olympics. I was doing just that, listening to Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top’, and got hit by a car. It knocked me stupid, and I started doing stand up comedy. I’m not saying I’m dumb, but I think I’m smart in a way that’s dumb. I’m so existential because I grew up quickly, so after another near death experience– I just started to do more of what I loved. I was raised with a lot of loss responsibility on my shoulders, and had my first job at 14–I quit because my “boyfriend’ kept prank calling my job. I answered phones at a Pizza shop.
Then I remember having a rebellious phase in middle school and getting kicked out of class for making my girl friends laugh, and walking down to the Principal’s office thinking, “I wish I could make them laugh for a living when I grow up, but that’s not a real thing. What women are in Comedy?” I don’t know if a lot of cis boys think I’m funny, but it’s nice when they do too. Anyway, after the pandemic, I began producing or hosting my own shows, sometimes for charity — to support the LGBQT community, Planned Parenthood, families targeted by the ICE raids, families fleeing Gaza, or my gynecologist who lost her home to the LA fires this year. I used the small amount of the ‘hit by a car’ money for doctor’s appointments, acting, and comedy. Before stand-up, I was doing camera operation for PBS or hosting a local late night entertainment news. Being in front of people I felt backwards at first… I get shy. I only had one line in a play in High School called Anything Goes.
I also worked at the best comedy club in Boston,– Laugh Boston. I got to do a guest spot for Tim Meadows once. That was fun. I liked that they played music in between the stand-up and you got to dance and chat with customers as you’d hand off their orders. Also the manager there, JoAn, is one of the best people I’ve ever met– that was such a hard time and she made it so fun, and always had my back.
Last weekend I acted in my friend Nile’s Abston’s movie called THE BOOTH, and next week I film for my friend Jedd Levinson’s pilot, called “Thirsty”. Next I’m trying to make a short film directed by my friend, Kris Mercado, and a proof of concept for a show I wrote. Now I’m trying to do a variety show at the Elysian main room called ‘Hardy Party,” and it’s still a work in progress, but they’re really good at working with artists to create the show they envision.
Next, I’d like to film a 20-30 minute “special” and do a podcast maybe. I love acting so I’ve been focused on getting better and trying to book something. Cool, go Red Sox.
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?
I’ve never had a single obstacle, challenge or bad thing happen to me.
Jk.
I did struggle with performance anxiety when I first entered the villa of stand up comédie. Less so now. During the writer’s strike, I lost my step mom to cancer (boooooo), and had to move back in with my Grandma. She owes me a phone call right now. I keep her note on my work space that she wrote me when I got there– “Welcome to the house of cozy + love… Coffee is on the house.” I’d spend my days working from home next to my Grandma while she chain smoked and we watched I Love Lucy or YouTube videos. My cat, Salem, lives at my Grandma’s now because I couldn’t find a place where I could have a cat. He sits in chairs kinda like a person and likes to flush toilets– my cat is wasting more water than AI.
Watching someone die and almost dying was not good. I don’t feel very funny most days — everyone’s life is hard, but when you want to write a joke, it’s just so top of mind — death, a break up, money problems, health scares, a family member relapsing. I don’t want to put too much of their business out there, but yeah it slips into jokes I think because I love my family so much and I’m always thinking about them. I don’t have the money to travel to see them, but they end up in jokes. I try not to. It happens.
But, yeah I couldn’t really date or move up in comedy while living at my Grandmas or my mom’s couch because where was I supposed to bring a date or get booked? No one knew me for comedy in Boston since I started in LA. I was lonely aside from seeing my close friends from High School. Tried to get back with my college ex boyfriend. I felt like I was in a dark Hallmark romcom. I remember having a show at a Casino and then having to go shopping for my sister, Nikki’s, wedding dress. Unfortunately the wedding dress shop was right next to my exes, so I drove myself and my Grandma there and threw one very sad egg at his house. Depressed, broke, mourning, lonely, and confused by what to do about having a toxic acting/lit manager (to keep things light). He found me on LinkedIn. I’m pretty sure it was only because I work at Fuzzy Door.
I’m not gonna air out every little obstacle I’ve faced, but it’s been.a damn doozy. Working two jobs, and battling some medical issues. Absolutely exhausting, but now I’m back in LA and writing silly little jokes about love and laughing through loss. I learned a lot about how to laugh through the bad parts of life, and enjoy the moments that were wonderful.
Well, what’s more embarrassing than listing your L’s…a typo. I’ve read this so many time, please don’t let there be a typo.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a stand up and I act — I write and produce usually for myself these days. I like to write jokes about love, my life, I don’t know just the stuff I see around me. I wrote a pilot and feature for myself, but I don’t think any of the stuff I’ve written will get made because I’m ‘no one’. That’s okay, I think writing is good for you in general. My new one is a surreal, horror, romcom genre blend called, Possessed with You. I use the possession and zombie genre as a metaphor for grieving — how original, right? The interesting part (I think) is that the invasion translates to the crushing pressure applied to workingclass people… Given the current political landscape, I think normal people want to see themselves on screen. I am ultimately interested in making a fun yet dark satire about reinvention after loss, and the female friendships that are essential for survival. I’d like to make a proof of concept for it so I can be in it, even just being in the practice version of it. At one point, the feature version was in development with Temple Hill. I’d still love to work with them. But for right now, I’m focusing on stand up, acting, and getting the money together so I can make that proof of concept. I’ve been timing out the material I’ve written over the last couple years and I think I might have 20 minutes, that I still like? The last thing I’ll say is I am so grateful for the friends and collaborators in my life right now. I really only want good people around me and they’ve shown me that you can work with people who are good, talented, reliable, humble, confident, human. That slays.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
They can come to my shows and donate to my Seed and Spark & GoFundMe projects. Or, hear me out, book me to act in their TV shows/movies. If you’re a stand-up, I’d love to open for you.
Also, I feel like the internet is such a cool way to find new artists, and I’m trying to make more friends who want to make stuff with me even if it’s just like a 1 minute TikTok or something. It would be so fun to get to open for someone though and perform in New York, new places. I’ve been exploring voice lessons and piano too– I think that’s been a great emotional support for me to be creative in a way that has no pressure attached since it’s not my career. That being said I have a new variety show called Hardy Party and I’m really inspired by the muppets, the Sony and Cher show, Gilda Radner, SNL — a mix of the comedy, music, drag, clowning coming together. Taylor Tomlinson is my Taylor Swift, I say that because I want collaborators know my taste (good). I’d love for people to help me make that translate into my shows, and career. If there’s any musicians/artists who want to be a part of the show or people who think they can help me hone a classic yet new wave feel to the show– please reach out. I don’t have any credits, fans, or followers so like anyone, I’d love that if for no other reason than I want to be able to sell tickets and tape a special someday.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shannonhardy.net
Image Credits
1. Noah Eberhart
2. Zak Micciche
3. Curtis Chase
4. Andrew Levy
5. Kris Mercado
6. Autumn Palen
7 Lee Jameson
8. Shelby Cobb
