Meet Jacqueline Marie Alberto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacqueline Marie Alberto.

Jacqueline, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I used to stay up way past my bedtime to watch the Nick at Nite reruns of ‘I Love Lucy.’ I never realized how much of an impact comedy had over me until I stepped on stage for the first time to perform as a standup earlier this year.

I started as a ballerina when I was 10 years old. And If you had told me that the shy little girl practicing pirouettes in the corner of the dance studio by herself, who could barely find the courage to even speak out loud, would one day begin a career in standup comedy, I’d tell you, you were absolutely insane.

I’m one of those people who enjoy learning. When I find something I am passionate about, there is nothing that can take me away from trying to find out every little, single detail about what it takes to perform it. I don’t just want to learn how it’s done, I want to learn how to be the best at it. I started dancing at the age of 10, I learned to act at the age of 14, I learned to choreograph at the age of 16, I learned to design, build, direct, and craft original performance pieces at the age of 18, and then I learned to act again when I was 22, getting my Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Houston.

At the age of 24, I had reached a point of physical, and mental exhaustion, and I moved to Los Angeles on a whim, thinking it would be a nice vacation, originally intending to visit for only two weeks, but instead landing a job at retail store merely 4 hours into my visit, and then deciding to never get back on the return flight home. Looking back at it all now, I continually ask myself: at what point did I become so ballsy and relentless? Maybe I was just training myself to do standup comedy all along and had no idea.

Two years ago I worked a 9-5 job at a gym. Hollywood had taken a 3-year toll on me and I had disappeared into the struggle of making ends meet while still trying to pretend like I was making time to be an actress (as I originally wanted to do when I first moved here). I grew unhappy, depressed, and lonely busting my ass at a job that had nothing to do with anything I had spent so many years in training for.

So I woke up one day, and I quit. Cold Turkey, no plan B, no back-ups. What was I thinking? I suddenly found myself in the midst of a rock and hard place, not knowing whether or not I would be able to afford rent or food; taking freelance jobs choreographing, or dancing, or doing whatever anyone would hire me to do, just so I can make a few hundred dollars a month to keep myself afloat. My car got towed one day and I didn’t have enough money to get it out of the impound lot, so I was jobless, carless, and almost homeless, to be honest. Again, I sit here and I wonder, why didn’t I just pack up and go home?

I’ll never know. Instead, I wrote a 22-min comedy pilot script about my time working at my former gym job.

Whatever time I had left not trying to hustle for rent money, I spent reading, learning, writing, practicing, soaking in as much as I could, reminding myself of all of the things that made me passionate about entertaining people, to begin with. I spent so much energy on my craft that when my agent called to tell me I had finally booked a small co-star role on LOPEZ, I didn’t even register how I felt about landing my first ever acting gig because I was so consumed with my writing and practicing. It’s weird how things only work out when you’re not looking for them.

I am incredibly grateful for having worked on George Lopez’s show, even as a small- nothing role, because the experience of being a part of something that big, even for just those two days, made me realize how much comedy actually defines me as a person. It the only role I’ve ever booked in Hollywood. Ever. But I’m happy for it because it was the first time I realized that I had an innate understanding of my purpose as an artist, and that was to make people laugh. Even more, it was the first time I realized that I didn’t have to continue waiting around to be handed the opportunity to be funny, I could make them on my own.

I went on to crowdfund and produce the comedy pilot I had been writing, called REPS, and the entire experience further proved to me that I had been selling myself short in terms of what I thought I was able to offer to this industry. I now really enjoyed writing, creating characters, and being behind the helm of my own ship. Of course, at this point, I wanted to learn more.

Flash-forward to January of this year: I set myself on enrolling in a writing class at Second City, Hollywood. When I got there, unfortunately, the class I wanted to take had already started it’s first lesson the week prior. So rather than jumping in at the second week, I opted to take a different class. The only one that was available at the time was Stand up 101.

I thought to myself, well the idea of standing alone in silence on stage with a microphone in hand and the added pressure of trying to make people laugh with what I say sort of terrifies me, but I guess it will teach me how to formally write a joke. So, I took it.

Now, six months after my first taste on stage as a stand-up, I have never been more sure of anything else in my life. It is the most afraid I have ever been on stage, but as scary and unsettling as it might seem every, single time, there is nothing quite like the feeling of hearing a joke, that I’ve crafted on my own, land for the first time. It makes me the happiest person, even for just those few seconds of holding for the laugh, because it means that even for that brief moment I made other people forget about their troubles.

I used to try to define myself when people ask by telling them that I’m a dancer, turned actress, turned writer, turned to stand up comedian. But now when they ask, I simply just smile and say, “Sit and watch a while. You’ll see.”

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I knew the moment I decided to enter this business it was never going to be a “smooth” road. But I think that’s the beauty of it; knowing I’ll have to struggle, making little money, against so much competition, and fighting for the chance to do what I love.

Jacqueline Marie Alberto – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is comedy. Making people laugh. Talking about the things they might be thinking but would never dare to say out loud. Connecting with people by making them laugh about the things they can relate to. I’m nowhere near as far along as some of the other comedians out in Hollywood, I’m still a newbie really, but I’m proud of where I’m choosing to go and how far I’ve come.

I think what sets me apart is that I’m honestly not afraid to try something outside of the box, whether it fits the mold or no. If I have the suspicion that it could possibly make someone laugh, I’ll go for it. Most of the time I fall on my face, but then there are times I don’t. And that’s enough for me to want to keep trying.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success comes in different forms. There are small successes and big successes. For me, I spend more time being proud of the small successes. The one joke that worked in a 5-minute set. The small gig I booked next week. The realization I’ll have about a premise and how to finally make the joke work. Those small successes are my bread and butter because they lead to the bigger ones.

Sure I want my own Netflix special, sure I want my own sitcom, and those are definite definitions of success as well. But really, as long as something is keeping me happy, that’s success enough for me. If I become sad somehow in the process, then I’m failing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jacquelinealberto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/jacquelinemariealberto
• Facebook: facebook.com/jacquiemariealberto
• Twitter: twitter.com/jacquie_marie_a

Image Credit:
Gerrad Wilson

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