Meet Austin Laine Walker

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Austin Laine Walker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Austin Laine below.

Austin Laine, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I come by resilience naturally. Or maybe genetically would be the optimal word choice. As someone who grew up in the South, I was surrounded by people whose means of living did not dictate their outlook on life. Maybe they don’t make as much money as they’d like to. Maybe their travel is limited to where their truck can take them. Whatever the case may be, I was fortunate enough to experience a way of life growing up where folks made the best out of the situation they were in, and no one has been a stronger example of this than my own momma. She is the most resilient person I’ve ever met. Truly a sainted woman walking amongst us. A two-time cancer survivor! Life continuously throws its toughest battles right in her face and she simply does whatever it takes to overcome them and then, ever the selfless one, does anything in her power to make life comfortable for her family and friends around her. In addition to raising me and my two siblings to be respectful, thoughtful, contributing members of society, she also adopted two little girls who found themselves in need of a mother’s love. She lives with and takes care of my grandmother and great grandmother. She’s the first to pick up the phone when someone else is in trouble, even those who have wronged her. All while working a full time job. This is exactly the attitude I strive for, though admittedly fall short of, every day. The example she sets has made an immeasurable impact on my own ability to persevere, and I only hope that someday I can repay her for for everything she’s done for me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a bit of a jack of all trades, but above all, I consider myself an entertainer. I have a particular affinity towards comedy and old school entertainment, namely variety shows of the ‘60s and 70s. Back in those days, comedy’s purpose was to make ya feel good. At least that’s what Carol Burnett said! So when I created my show, Varietyville, it was meant to be seen as a living homage to the shows that inspired it, through new characters and sketches, as well as blowing the dust off some bits that ain’t seen the light of day since The Dean Martin Show! What’s so exciting about it to me is the fact that my obsession with these shows sort of stemmed from seeing them utilize old vaudeville songs and sketches, and realizing that very few current shows, live or otherwise, were borrowing that format. So the thought of being on the forefront of bringing a beloved form of comedy, that is fairly unique to our country by the way, back to the limelight it so richly deserves to shine in thrills me to no end. If that sounds like your kinda entertainment, you can catch Varietyville every second Thursday of the month at L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre in Beautiful Downtown Burbank!

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?

As I ponder this question, I think back to a time when I was about twelve years old and my mom caught me belting Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” in the shower. I was embarrassed because she thought it was so funny, even though it wasn’t for lack of singing ability. It was because Sinatra isn’t an artist she introduced me to. Nor did any of my family or friends for that matter! The art that speaks to me most somehow sought me out at an early age, primarily through the wonder of television, and because of that I very quickly learned that if I consume as much of the work that inspires me, maybe I’d be able to create something like that myself. In high school, I was very involved in our daily news program and this gave me just the spark of ingenuity I would need to become an independent, forward-thinking creative. Fast-forward a little over a decade when I had the good fortune of meeting two of my heroes here in LA, Brian Henson and Jack Black, on separate occasions. Unbeknownst to them, their advice to me was almost word-for-word the same…. “Make your own s***!” It’s advice that I’ve taken to heart through Varietyville. Using my show as an opportunity to showcase all the things I do well. So I suppose in turn, I would offer the same advice, just with an added caveat. Find that thing that gets your gears to turning. Whether it’s movies, or music, or old school variety shows, and once you’ve identified that, take in as much of it as you possibly can. Use that knowledge to hone your skills and make what you’re creating uniquely yours. Then the thing I continually struggle with, but is perhaps most important of all… be recklessly comfortable in your own skin. Confidence is the spearhead that allows you to seize opportunity. And it comes in many forms. For instance, say you see an artist you admire out in public. Perhaps this is even a person of some celebrity acclaim, and you want to meet them, but you don’t want to be “that guy”. Be that guy. Every chance you get, be that guy, because you don’t know when that kind of opportunity will present itself again. Sometimes it leads to an encouraging conversation, sometimes simply a selfie. Other times you forge a friendship with someone you’ve looked up to your whole life, and believe it or not, that has been the case for me on more than one occasion. Think of those opportunities not only as a gift, but as an obligation.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Without a doubt, my biggest area of growth in the past 12 months stems from the creation of my monthly scripted variety show, Varietyville. Before that, I was in a creative pit of despair. So many ideas and projects I wanted to get out of my mind for others to see, but couldn’t come up with a way succinct way to do so. I always assumed that would come through typical means of production, short films or web series, what have you, though I quickly came to realize there would oftentimes be little gratification in that. However, in February 2023, I stepped on stage in front of a live audience for the first time in a musical called “For the Love of a Glove” and I felt that immediate gratification of a responsive audience and have not been able to get my fill since. After that show, learning that the only thing preventing me from producing my own live show was myself has been the most crucial realization I’ve had in my thirty years on this planet and has lead to more than a year of meaningful creative output.

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William Koonce

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