Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Thom Chamberlain. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Thom, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I haven’t been the most optimistic for much of my life, often choosing the realistic/pessimistic interpretation to outcomes. I believe a lot of pessimistic people hold onto those feelings as a form of self-preservation and they don’t realize how significantly it prevents them from experiencing life. For me it came down to a choice, and I think that’s what it comes down to for everyone that makes that transition—I decided to expect nothing and be okay with whatever outcome.
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?
My goal is to become fully subsidized by my passion and creativity for comedy, to be a full-time touring and performing comedian that occasionally writes, acts, and does voice over work. I started doing comedy late in 2022 at a local spot in Miami called Villain Theater, where I was encouraged to write and perform in as many improv, stand-up, and sketch writing as I could handle. My primary craft being stand-up, I was gifted an incredible opportunity by the producer of ‘Don’t Tell Comedy’s’ (DTC) Miami chapter, to join his team full-time to help produce their pop-up comedy events. Essentially what we do is takeover a local business after hours, hold a secret BYOB (usually) show with mystery comedians and it’s the most fun you can have at a comedy show. Even after doing it almost every weekend for the past year, I’ll never tire of the energy that audiences and performers bring to DTC shows.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The qualities, skills, or knowledge I’ve utilized since starting comedy aren’t particularly special in my honest opinion—I think ‘attitude & effort’ makes all the difference in the world. I make a point of being fun and easy to work, which doesn’t mean being a pushover but more so knowing when to push for things and let go of them at the same time. Being punctual and communicative with institutions and people you want to continue working with is extremely important because those are qualities they remember when you’re not right in front of them. Most of all, kindness and understanding goes a long way because if you’re talented enough, there’s no reason for people not to want to book you.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I think with most performance art, collaboration elevates the individual and the collective & I’m always open to collaborating for writing, producing, acting, etc.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @thomphoolery
- Youtube: @ThomPhoolery305
- Other: TikTok: @thomphoolery
Image Credits
Abby Ballin @aballinphoto
