Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Marco.
Hi Jon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a comedic actor/writer. Originally from Chicago, then NYC and now LA for the last ten years. All my life, I knew I was here to make people laugh. Individually or the masses. This joy and ability to make others laugh came early. My family allowed me to be the goofy one. They fueled me in some way with each laugh they gave. During grade school, I was picked on a lot. General bullying. A few fights. Name calling. Most notably… faggot. I’m not sure how they knew because I didn’t know yet.
A gift for improvisation was born within the bullying. Every time I was picked on, I would just stare at them. I wouldn’t say anything back in fear of getting beaten up. Little did they know they were helping me fine tune the gift of “sarcastic comeback”. Although not verbal, I had a witty comeback for every time I was picked on. Through the years, I started to get really good at it. I’m sure I confused many of them. I would stare, say my comeback in my head, smile (knowing I won the fight) and then walk away. I could have allowed that to get me down, but instead it made me stronger and made my tongue very sharp. Unfortunately, the joy of making people laugh was smothered by fear of teasing. They took my voice. And I allowed it to happen. An all boys Catholic high school followed. A brand new hell.
Finally, I came out of my shell and found the world of theater by junior year. I felt alive. I could be someone else. I found a voice. It wasn’t my voice, but a voice of some imaginary person written on the pages of a world that felt safe to me. College theater leads to community theater. Chicago has a vibrant theater scene. A community that was always welcoming and safe. I excelled. A play called “Armageddon: A Christmas Play” changed my path in a way I never expected. When I got the call, I wasn’t offered the lead role that I wanted. I almost didn’t accept the role(s) I was offered. Eight characters, but many were off-stage voices. “I’m a stage actor”, I thought. I didn’t want to say lines from off-stage. Taking in the energy of the audience as you perform is quite special. From backstage, you wouldn’t feel it, I thought. Something deep down told me to do it. During rehearsals, I convinced the writer/director to make my main character (the offstage one) an onstage character. He agreed and made the appropriate changes to the script. The writer/director was a producer at Second City, a well-known improvisational theatre company. His boss came to see the show.
Afterwards, he asked who I was. Luckily, I was praised by the writer/director. His boss told him to hire me at Second City. Just like that, this strange little play slingshotted me into the world of touring around the US making people laugh. My voice mattered. Those bullies from grade school have no idea what they set in motion. My voice was only sleeping. It allowed my inner voice to strengthen and fine tune the quick thinking ad-libbing that was needed to get me to this point. Regional theater followed. After joining the theater union and a short stint in NYC, I decided the most illogical thing to do was to move to Los Angeles at age 40. Although challenging, I’ve been blessed with many commercials, a handful of short films, small TV gigs, theater work and improv shows. Most notably, I played Skip in a comedy series called Pet Friendly, directed by comedian Whitney Cummings. It focused on pet adoption and was produced by VCA. It can be seen at Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Refinery29 or even at my website www.jonmarco.com. I’m not done making people laugh. There are bigger platforms out there to conquer. Do you hear that Universe? Remember this…There will always be bullies. People who want to make you feel smaller, unimportant and try to take your voice. Fight it anyway you can, but don’t give up. The Universe has a plan for you. Breath, let it unfold and trust that little inner voice.
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?
Being an actor is one of the hardest jobs out there, but the only thing I can see myself doing. I love it. You have to love it with all your heart. There are plenty of ups and downs with an acting career. My first acting class was in college back in 1987. I haven’t stopped yet. The road has had its bumps. Knowing there would be bumps made it easier to glide past them without a flat tire. The biggest down is financial. I had to accept to live in a financial bracket that is much lower than many. You will watch everyone around you move much higher financially in other chosen fields. It’s hard not to compare yourself to them. For example, my grand niece bought a house and I still live in an apartment. Grand. Niece. Trust your path. Don’t compare yourself to anyone and you’ll be much happier.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an actor/writer. I specialize in comedic acting. At the moment though, I’ve been blessed with more commercial work a than Film/TV work. I’ve had ten commercials so far – JCPenney, Walmart, eBay, Fruit Gushers, Apple… For TV/Film, I’m most proud of Pet Friendly. Besides being directed by the very funny comedian Whitney Cummings, it was the most fun I had on set to date. They gave us the freedom to improvise lines. They also would run up and give us lines to say on the fly. It was a blast with lots of laughter. I’ve written a few things that made me proud. One is a stage show I co-wrote in Chicago back in 2002. It’s called Sister Bernie’s Bingo Bash. Up until the pandemic, it was still being performed! It’s an interactive comedy. It’s about a priest and two nuns who play seven bingo games (based on the seven deadly sins) and give you prizes that reflect the opposite virtue of that sin. You play bingo, sing songs and win prizes. It’s a goofy little show, but the message is wonderful… eliminate sin and bring goodness back into our lives. I performed it here at the first Hollywood Fringe Festival. It gave us the best review to date… “Jon Marco, Jenni Lamb and Lisa Merkin are the holy trinity of Catholic Humor” LA WEEKLY. It has been mainly used as a fundraiser at schools, churches, theaters or anywhere that needs an uplifting message.
After this pandemic is over, many places will need to raise funds and spread goodness. I have a cast waiting, so contact me for information. 🙂 I also developed a completely improvised stage show called CSI: LIVE Crime Scene Improvisation. I took ten characters from actual TV crime shows and brought them together in one live stage TV show. Through audience suggestions, the plot is developed and the crime is played out with various styles and techniques made popular from each actual crime show. Unlike other improv shows, this show has a set, full costumes and props. Another is a screenplay I’m writing based on a short children’s story that my mother wrote. It’s called Finding Craven. It’s a mystery that involves time travel and magic. The main characters are two boys, loosely based on my brother and I. I don’t have the best relationship with my mother, so getting this finished would fill my heart and hopefully hers.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I have two books that I’m re-reading. 1. The Power of Now – A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle 2. Law of Attraction by Michael J. Losier. Both might be a bit “hocus pocus” for some, but I think they are great books to open the mind a little. They will also help those ups and downs I just talked about!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.jonmarco.com
- Instagram: @thejonmarco
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/yhS68npFx0Y
- Other: https://www.imdb.me/jonmarco
