We recently connected with Jevon Westmoland and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jevon with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic is the result of a promise I made to myself. In school, I never applied myself and never got high grades because then that’s the standard, so I always performed just well enough. I had many conversations with myself after graduating about if I ever had the opportunity to apply my full potential into something again I would. So when comedy presented itself, I told myself now is my opportunity to lay it all on the line. I don’t waver in my belief that my talent is GOD given, but I also tell myself daily “Hard work can beat talent when talent doesn’t work as hard.”
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My story is parallel to a lot of youth during the 80/90’s era. I spent a large part of my childhood in Berkeley, MO (Frostwood). Cartoons, outside, and friendships were the anchors of my childhood. I was raised in a two-parent home and both my parents have a comedic presence about themselves. I believe my dad could have possibly been a comedian. His love for the art and his own ability to take life and find the funny has always stuck out to me. My mom is an amazing storyteller and has such a disarming smile!
I am the middle child of four but the age gap between my oldest and younger siblings is so wide it felt like being an only child. So, this led to developing my imagination. I created these fantasy worlds and characters to pass time. The bug for creativity has always lived within me, whether it’s fashion, music, or comedy I love to create.
My gift was discovered early but opened late. The scripture says lean not on your own understanding. So I do not live in the “what ifs” of my career, I live for the “what’s next.”
Right now my focus professionally is just growth. I just want to get better within my craft. Push myself outside my comfort zone and see what blossoms from that. I have landed a few acting roles that I am excited about. So be on the lookout. The Little Man is coming to the Big Screen!
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?
I’m still relatively new myself so this might not be advice, but this is what worked for me. Be patient with yourself. This is a hard craft to learn. There will be moments you will have extreme highs and go someplace the next night to do the EXACT same jokes and none of them work. Comedy is a true grind. I broke down a lot of sets from other comics to see patterns, word selection, and stage presence. Comedy is like any other sport. Studying the pros can teach you a lot. Get funny 1st! I know this seems self-explanatory but it’s not! Many young comics worry more about their brand than their jokes. If you don’t work on being funny your brand will be known as being unfunny. My last piece of advice would be you can’t bomb at an open mic, It’s designed for you to work on material and test it. The material might not have gone over like you expected but an Open Mic is a laboratory. Test some things out.
The three skills that were most impactful in my journey.
1) Reading: A veteran comedian (Willie Lynch Jr.) told me that great comics are well-read.
2) Writing: I write daily. I spend a minimum of one hour writing and working on my comedy.
3) Networking: Some of the biggest opportunities in my career came off the back of networking. Now of course I was ready because of my hard work, but the opportunity came from a relationship that was built through networking. I know a lot of comics hate to hear this or hate to believe this, but I learned working in Corporate America it’s not what you know but who you know.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There were a few books that played an important role in my development but The Bible 1st and foremost has been the most impactful book of my life.
Now strictly speaking about comedy (“The Comedy Bible” by Judy Carter, “Resonate Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences” by Nancy Duarte, and “Finding Your Comic Genius” by Adam Bloom) the one book that changed my trajectory in comedy was… Dan Rosenberg’s “The Book on Hosting” How not to suck as an Emcee. For myself, this book was a game changer. New comics most likely your first time working at a Comedy Club will be as the Host. Hosting is the most important part of a show and it’s given to the least experienced person. Dan provided a lot of gems that have helped me land hosting jobs throughout the Midwest. So I highly recommend this book if you have to purchase a book today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: jevon314
- Facebook: Jevon Westmoland
- Linkedin: Jevon Westmoland
- Other: I can be found on all social media platforms at jevon314.
Image Credits
Chase Jordan Instajerren
