Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael O’Brien.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m from a small town in Oregon and was always a really funny goofy kid. I would act out Saturday Night Live sketches, improvise and put on a full theatrical performance for book reports (when all that was really required was a hastily thrown together diorama), and was always finding ways to make my friends and family laugh. And even though I was from a small town, my parents raised me to believe I could do anything so I had always dreamed of moving to LA and starting a career in entertainment. My parents wanted me to graduate college so I quickly finished my undergrad degree in three years at University of Oregon and then told them I had a job interview in Los Angeles, which I did, but there was no urgency in me taking the job like I told them there was.
I flew to Los Angeles for the job interview, got the job, and then never went back to Oregon. I stayed in Los Angeles and quietly began pursuing my dreams. I originally had assumed that I would be a comedic actress because I didn’t really know that stand-up comedy was a job, but I quickly realized that being an actress just involves a lot of waiting on other people to give you a job and I was ambitious and impatient. So I decided to make myself more hire-able and well-rounded and applied to a Graduate Screenwriting Program at UCLA, was accepted and began pumping out comedic scripts. Which then lead me to stand-up comedy. I wanted to see an immediate reaction to the stuff I was writing so I decided to try stand-up.
From the second I was on that stage I was hooked and I knew that stand-up would be something I would do for the rest of my life and would ultimately be the tool that started everything else in my career. Stand-up led me to starting a podcast “Be Here For A While,” which is regularly on the top comedy charts on Apple Podcasts, to pitching scripted and unscripted shows, to touring the world. I’ve performed in 10 countries across the world and also performed for our troops. Performing for our troops was by far the most rewarding experience of my life. I just got back from a European tour with fellow comedian Natasha Pearl Hansen and am on the road a couple of times a month touring the US. I’m also in the process of working on a book that I’m very excited about and recently completed a script about my life in the comedy world that’s being shopped around.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
If anyone tells you that their career in entertainment has been a smooth road they are probably lying haha. It’s a very difficult industry and career to navigate because there’s no set trajectory or path that works for everyone. With that being said, I wouldn’t change one moment of the ups and downs that I’ve had in my career. They’ve all brought me to where I am today. When I first moved to Los Angeles, someone gave me a piece of advice that has always stuck with me. They said, “expect to hear the word no 100 times before you hear the word yes. That way, you know that every ‘no’ is just bringing you closer to the ‘yes’.” Another one I recently heard that has really resonated with me is that in this career you have to think of it as taking a number at any type of queue or line. You take your number and you may have to wait a while but your name will be called so don’t get out of line. It’s the same with entertainment. “Don’t get out of line, your number will be called.” Things like that have always help me keep going.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a stand-up comedian, podcast host, writer and actress. You sort of have to do it all nowadays but I love working in so many facets of the industry. I tour the world doing stand-up, release a podcast every week for the last three years, and continuously audition and produce scripts and content. I think my work ethic definitely defines who I am. I never stop moving, I never stop trying, and I never give up.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve worked with some incredible people in the entertainment industry but by far my biggest supporters and cheerleaders are my parents. I am blessed with the most incredible parents who have built me up and given me so much confidence that I owe so much of my success to them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachaelobriencomedy.com
- Email: [email protected]
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
