We were lucky to catch up with Kris Bell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kris, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I always love finding ways stand out, it’s a fun release of expression for me! I’ve always loved trying to gear my style to be just slightly different from the rest. In stand up comedy I love wearing fancy top hats and blazers, because it’s fun for me, it makes me instantly recognizable and memorable. It’s not always easy doing things different, in fact i’ve actually lost bookings and gigs simply because I chose to do something like a wear a top hat on stage. There’s always going to be people that have an opinion on how you should be doing things, and taking advice is great, but if you’re not doing things the way you want in the end and enjoying yourself is it even worth spending you energy on? It’s a good thing to stand out and shine in an otherwise dark world! Don’t let people ever put out the thing that makes you shine!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My career is that of an independent artist and entertainer! I constantly have something new going on and love learning every part of the process of things i’m involved in. Most people know me around Knoxville, TN and surrounding areas as “The Grand Duke of Spook”, Monster of Scaremonies for the Creepycon Halloween and Horror Convention, in stand up comedy i’m Kris Bell, and people may even remember me from my independent wrestling days as KC Rush! Currently I’m working on my first short film “What Dwells Beneath” which has a trailer releasing March 15th 2024. Entertainment has always been my passion since I was young i’ve always loved being in front of people making them laugh and smile. It’s something that has always come quite naturally to me and probably one of the places I feel most comfortable and in my zone.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Listen. Listen. Listen. If you are trying to break into a field don’t be afraid to ask questions and then LISTEN! Be easy to work with on things, never be a doormat or a yes person, but don’t be difficult to work with dick. People remember how you treated them and it takes a lot of people to make things run smoothly especially in film production and live stage shows, so don’t ever act like you’re too good to be there. Be yourself, don’t ever try to do the things you think the general masses will enjoy just because it’s what you think they’ll like. If you aren’t smiling while you’re working towards your goals or working in your dream field, then it isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing. There’s all kinds of struggles that everyone faces, but if you’re struggling following your dream, it makes the struggles that much more worth going through.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
When you make your own schedule it can be very difficult to hold yourself to it. Telling yourself there’s no big rush on things until it’s down to the wire and you’re scrambling to finish or you never finish it. I’ve struggled with this for a few years now after going out on my own, but have found setting actual dates and schedules for myself greatly helps my motivation. For example announcing on Social Media that you’re doing a live event or releasing a film or in my case the release of the trailer for my film, makes you go ok now i’ve announced it and people are excited for it. Now it HAS to be done. We’re so willing to work ourselves half to death keeping deadlines to help make rich people even more rich, shouldn’t we be able to work twice as hard for ourselves?
Contact Info:
- Website:Linktr.ee/DeKreature
- Facebook: Facebook.com/KrisBellKomedy
Image Credits
Mallory Bertrand Photography Creepycon Halloween and Horror Convention Kris Bell
