Meet Mackenzie Jaquish

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mackenzie Jaquish a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, 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?

Thank you, I’m really excited to talk about all things comedy and my production company Pretty Funny Comedy. I would say, my work ethic comes from the women I surround myself with. I grew up in a predominantly female household. My mother never strayed away from a challenge and it pushed my sisters and I to do the same. Throughout my childhood she was constantly pushing herself to take on new adventures, no matter the avenue, she was a teacher, ran for local government, was the head of multiple charity organizations, and still had time to be there for our soccer games. Now as an adult, I have surrounded myself with people who share the same level of passion for work with my comedy collective Pretty Funny Comedy. The women in the collective are some of the strongest women I have ever had a privilege of knowing, and getting to work with them pushes me to work harder.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Of Course! Right now my life is completely consumed by my comedy collective, Pretty Funny Comedy! We’re having our Off Broadway debut on April 28th at SoHo Playhouse with our new show, You’re Invited To: The Sleepover show!

This is a really big undertaking for the collective. It’s a one of a kind show that takes elements of stand up, sketch, music, and storytelling, while also being a nostalgic trip for audiences.

The collective itself is just over two years old and has 14 different shows across the city with its 4 main stage shows Judgey, Love is Live, Your Ex Girlfriends, and now You’re Invited to: The Sleepover show running out of major theaters in the city.

The collective is truly built by women for women. All of our content is created with the goal of making women feel more seen and like they have a place that’s just for them. We’re the girls in the cafeteria who always have a seat ready for you.

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?

I mean there are a lot of technical skills I could talk about, starting my career in TV and radio really gave a strong sense for the technical side of things. I truly believe too that as a producer, you should know a little bit about everyone’s job, that way if anything goes wrong you know how to fix it. But, if we’re talking about skills that have helped shape me as a person, there are three big ones.

Having a sense of humor, look, life is really hard, and it sucks so much of the time. If you’re not willing to laugh at the small stuff or even the big stuff then you’re just going to be miserable all the time. When we’re laughing it’s the only time we’re not thinking about our problems. I think that’s a gift, and it’s the reason I work so hard to make people laugh, I want people to forget about their problems and just have a good time when they’re at my shows, trust me your problems will still be there after the show, so why stress about them during.

Kindness, I learned very early on that not everyone was going to be kind or use their heart when making decisions. I noticed that being mean was an easy way for them to cut ties where they needed and move on their way without ever thinking about the people they’ve hurt along the way. I knew instantly that path wasn’t for me. In all of my decisions, business and personal, I try to lead with kindness first. Feelings are just as valid as facts and need to be part of every conversation.

Loyalty, I’m loyal to a fault. Once you’re part of my life, I’ll have your back no matter what. I try to surround myself with people who have that same level of loyalty. Having a strong backbone and the ability to stick up for yourself is something I look for in people. It doesn’t always work out, and sometimes you end up fighting for someone who had no intention of fighting for you, but at least then you know where you stand with them.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shout out for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I would like to thank the Pretty Funny Comedy Girls. The women I cast in my shows are the most loyal, kind and hardworking comedians I know.

Audrey Shapiro is truly my voice of reason. When I’m feeling lost or confused about a conflict, she calms me down, usually with cookies, and helps set me straight. She’s the type of person who you can complain to for hours, and by the end of it she doesn’t complain about how long you’ve been talking, but instead she has actual advice that will help you. She has a clear head at all times and it makes her incredibly easy to work with.

Leorah Wood pushes me to be a funnier comic, she released her first hour long special within her first few years of doing comedy. She’s all about writing and working on making sure every joke is solid. She asked me to open for her special and to this day that has been my favorite stand up show. She brings a light and a skepticism into every joke. She’s incredibly funny and also manages to still be a decent person, I don’t know how she does that!

Erin Gonyeau shares my heart, she’s the only person who can tell when I’m stressed or upset, she won’t always know how to fix a problem, but she’ll sit with me and try to help me solve it. She looks out for me, and I look out for her. Having someone to look out for your emotions is seriously underrated and I don’t know what I would be doing without her!

Julia Mandelbaum is the most confident person I have ever met. When you walk into a room with her you instantly feel like the main character in a movie. She’s fearless and makes me stronger just by being friends with her. She also made me stop shopping at Forever 21, and for that I’m grateful.

Olivia Benedict reminds me that comedy is supposed to be fun, and if we’re not having fun the audience won’t either. She’s also the only person I would improv with.

Caroline Pace, no one works as hard as Caroline Pace. She is the definition of quality over quantity. All of her projects have a polish and shine to them that only she can achieve. You can notice the difference in the quality of our photos, videos, and production from the past year of working with Caroline. She was my friend first, and then became a collaborator. She makes me work harder so that the content can live up to the production value she’s putting into it!

Most importantly, the original Pretty Funny Comedy girls- Jackie, Mollie and Amy Jaquish, my mother and two sisters, are truly my best friends. I created a Pretty Funny Comedy with them in mind. Everything I create I always try to imagine them watching it, to see if they would think it’s funny. They made me who I am today and everything I do is for them.

Pretty Funny Comedy Girls is an elusive term. Yes, it is the seven girls who are in the shows, but it’s also any woman who feels like they don’t belong. We’re not looking for a seat at the table, we’ve built our own table and we want you to sit with us

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Image Credits
Caroline Pace

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