Meet Jeffrey Schecter

We recently connected with Jeffrey Schecter and have shared our conversation below.

Jeffrey , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My father is and always has been a force of nature. I have seen him first hand literally work like a dog to take care of his family and the people he works with. And watching him work hard and succeed and often not succeed but still keep fighting has definitely been a major inspiration to me. He has told me my entire life, if you want something you have to work for it. I was never spoiled as a child, I truly had to work for everything. I sometimes resented that, but as an adult I can honestly say it has contributed to my great work ethic. I have also been inspired by other people I have worked with. It’s easy to have the base I have from my dad and then see the results in my field by witnessing others. It becomes simple math. Work hard and you will get the results you want and inspire others along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hi, my name is Jeffrey Schecter, aka “Shecky.” Shecky is my nickname and I wear it proudly. The name Shecky was made most famous by comic, Shecky Green. There is no relation to Shecky Green but I loved that I was associated with a comic. I love to make people laugh. As a child I used to do impressions of my parents just to make them laugh. I was funny from a young age and enjoyed that I had the ability to entertain. I eventually found my way into the arts through dance. I was a natural dancer, meaning I just had a natural ability to dance. I could watch Michael Jackson and Gene Kelly and imitate what I saw. My natural talent eventually led me to a scholarship at a local dance studio on Long Island where I grew up for part of my childhood and I developed my skills very quickly. By the time I was 18 I was catapulted into the world of musical theatre and began touring the world in shows like West Side Story and Guys and Dolls. 30 plus years later and I have performed in 10 Broadway shows, toured the world, and appeared in numerous TV shows and Films and continue to evolve as a stage and film actor.
In addition to being an actor I run a performing arts company with my wife of 20 years, Melissa Swender. Melissa and I met doing West Side Story in 2002. She is a retired musical theatre performer. Our company is called, I CAN DO THAT NYC and the name comes from the song, “I Can Do That” from the musical, “A Chorus Line.” I starred in the 2006 revival on Broadway and sung that song over 50o times. I created the company in 2015 to bring exciting classes to our community for children. The idea to create a company was inspired by my daughter who loved to dance and sing, but didn’t really have a great place to do it. It was also created out of a great need as I wasn’t working as much as an actor and needed to take care of my family. I have always loved teaching, and have a real talent for making people comfortable, especially kids. I have often been called a Pied Piper. This year, Melissa and I are celebrating our 10th year of I Can Do That. We have introduced musical theatre and dance to hundreds of kids and been integral in helping to change many of their lives. Many have gone on to pursue careers in the business and acknowledge I Can Do That as the start of their passion. I feel like what makes our company so special is we bring so many years of knowledge from Broadway to each and every class, and we are parents. We love kids and we love to help them find their voice and confidence. We really care. We consistently go above and beyond with our students and their families. I believe our families really appreciate the personal touch and wealth of knowledge we bring to their children. It’s an exciting time for our family. My son is about turn 10, my daughter is a talented artist and we are waiting to see what High School she will be attending to support her talent. Melissa and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage and as I mentioned it’s 10 years for our company. It’s a wonderful very full time.

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?

Three qualities or skills that were most impactful.? Kindness, flexibility and focus. I always tell my kids and students that it doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you’re not a nice person and treat others with kindness and respect nobody will want to work with you or hire you. JUST BE NICE. Being a good person is the THE most important thing. Being flexible is so important. You have to be ready to pivot at any moment. You have to be ready to open another door and it might not be the door you wanted, so you have to go with it, and figure out how to open up the next door that might be the right one for you. Be open to change, be open to something you didn’t think you could do. Be open to possibility. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!! It you want something be very clear on what you want. If you say, you want to dance on Broadway then put all of your focus on that and how to get there. Nobody just hands you anything. You have to focus and work at it, every day!

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did is support me. I have heard so many stories of how parents didn’t support them or forced them to go the path they wanted for their child and didn’t give them the opportunity to really go for what they want in life. I’m not really sure that either of my parents had any idea how it would go for me, or how talented I was, and if it was good enough for me to “make it” but they supported me. My father especially left the decision up to me. When I was 18 I had a full scholarship to Marymount College for visual arts and I was offered a dream job in Europe. It meant I would have to release my scholarship and apply again in the future if I chose not to go to college. I had a conversation with my father and he ultimately left the decision up to me. “I will support you whatever you decide.” There was nothing more powerful than that, to hear my father say, “I got you no matter what you do.” I chose the dream job (West Side Story in Europe) and never looked back.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.icandothatnyc.com and www.jeffreyschecter.com
• Instagram: @sidekickshecky
• Facebook: Jeffrey Schecter

Image Credits

Melissa Swender, Christine De Frece, Elias Husiak, Avery Infranco, Ryan Miller, Michael Kushner