Erick Acuña of DC on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Erick Acuña and have shared our conversation below.

Erick, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Honestly, a normal day is me doing my day job just enough to not get fired, and then cramming in as much comedy as possible. I’m juggling emails from coworkers in the morning and making comedy videos in the afternoon. By the evening, I’m either on stage, teaching improv, or hanging out with my family.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Erick Acuña, a Peruvian comedian living in DC. I run MeetCuteDC, a show where real blind dates happen on stage. I’s chaotic, funny, and surprisingly heartwarming. I also teach improv comedy, helping people find their own voice and sense of play. In addition, I create daily comedy videos for social media, often inspired by the quirks of life in DC. For me, the goal is to make people laugh and bring them together, whether that’s in a theater, a classroom, or on their phone screen.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a kid I believed success meant picking one “real” job and sticking to it — the kind of thing adults put on a business card and never questioned. Holding a day job (for now, please boss don’t look at this!) while building MeetCuteDC, teaching improv, and making social content has taught me that a meaningful life is often a patchwork of different roles and experiments, not a single tidy line.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
It’s okay — you don’t have to have it all figured out right now. Or maybe never. Enjoy the ride kid!

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Community. That means producing comedy shows where people feel welcome, teaching improv in a way that encourages joy instead of fear, and creating social media content that’s meant to connect.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
Right after a show when the lights are down and people are still laughing in the room.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Mikail Faalasli
https://www.instagram.com/mfaalasli/

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