Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Hollingsworth.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in Portland, Oregon and worked in the tech industry most of my adult life. While working in Corp. America, I also trained in martial arts with two of Bruce Lee’s original students, eventually opening up my own martial arts school in Portland. Every year since about 2000, me and my buddies would take trips to Boston and I fell in love with the city and the people from the first visit. I knew I always wanted to live in Boston and in 2007, I got a job that moved me to Boston.
In 2008, while in Boston I took a stand-up comedy class and from that day I was hooked on stand-up.
Please tell us about your art.
I’m a stand-up comedian. My style of stand-up is that I’m a story teller. Many have described my style as “a guy you’re just talking to at the bar.” I always say that anything I say on stage is either something that happened to me or something that I believe strongly in, like if I’m trying to make a point.
I hope people take away from my stand up that it’s original and I like to take opposite views of popular views. Anytime you can get someone to laugh about something they may not agree with your point of view, you know it’s a strong joke.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success to me as a comic is being able to tour the world doing the top clubs and knowing I can go onto any stage, anywhere in the world and follow any comedian and hold my own. The quality I think that is most important as a comedian is be funny, perseverance and originality. There’s a million things against you “making it”. Whatever “making it” is for you. You gotta just keep working and be a tank. Keep moving forward, take your lumps, but keep moving forward.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I do a weekly podcast with my best bud and cohost, Kane Holloway. It’s called the HollingsWorthless Podcast and you can hear it on the Podaholics Comedy Network, (www.podaholics.com/hwp), or on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. If you wanna see me live, you can go to my site www.bigirishjay.com for all my upcoming dates.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bigirishjay.com
- Phone: 6173345294
- Email: bigirishjay@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bigirishjay
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebigirishjay
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bigirishjay
- Other: www.podaholics.com/hwp
Image Credit:
Frankie Leal
Sean McCann
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