We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aaron Gold. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aaron below.
Alright, Aaron thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In an effort to expand my horizons, I hosted a podcast for 4 years called ‘Don’t Mind If I Don’t,’ where fans and experts of things I didn’t like would convince me why I was wrong. Between the pandemic, losing my mom, and doing all of the work myself on a weekly basis, I got overwhelmed and burnt out, shelving the project indefinitely. Then, earlier this year, two artists I trust and admire approached me independently of one another, wanting to help me produce DMIID as a TV show.
Cut to now, and we’ve done it! Airing on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, ‘Don’t Mind If I Don’t’ is back to aggressively expand my horizons, whether I want them to or not. Our first episode is on bagpipes, and we brought in the founder of International Bagpipe Day, Cassandre Balbar, and NY Pipes & Drums Band’s own John Henderson.
Don’t Mind If I Don’t’s first episode is out now! And can be seen at https://youtu.be/
Emotionally, this feels like a full circle moment. To be able to take a project I LOVED doing but couldn’t manage alone, and execute it with some of my favorite artists and people is such a profound and positive feeling.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a comedian, actor, writer, and host of “Don’t Mind If I Don’t,” a podcast-turned-TV show where fans and experts of things I don’t like convince him why I am wrong. I have appeared on Mtv, Nickelodeon, TNT, and NBC, as well as lent my voice to several Disney cartoons. My mental health comedy show, “You Are Not Alone: An Uplifting Show About Depression” has been enjoying monthly performances at the Magnet Theater for over 9 years now, and has partnered with NAMI NYC to combat the stigma associated with mental health. I am a two-time Silver Telly award winner, appearing in the upcoming murder thriller, “The Art of Diversion,” sequel comedy fan film, “The Mask: Gone Viral,” and recently played several dark and disturbing roles in the dream-like stage show, “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares” at The Tank. I co-starred in the limited podcast, “Bad Guys & B-Sides,” playing an angsty teenage guitarist turned magical sorcerer.
Forged in the fires of improv and trained by comedians Bobby Moynihan (SNL), Jordan Klepper (The Daily Show), and Louis Ramey (Last Comic Standing), I starred in the indie features ‘White People Problems’ and ‘Where Demons Dwell’ in addition to the hit web series ‘Redheads Anonymous’ and ‘These Three Girls’.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As someone who has dealt with depression and anxiety for most of my life, I, like most people, thought that I had to keep it to myself. Surprise surprise, it turns out bottling up your emotions and struggles isn’t good for you. Who knew? I got so fed up with the isolation that I started a comedy show about it, called You Are Not Alone: An Uplifting Show About Depression. What started as a way for me to stop burying my problems has ended up fostering a community of like-minded individuals, all set on combating the stigma surrounding mental health. YANA has gone on to enjoy a continuing 9-year run of monthly shows at the Magnet Theater in Chelsea, as well as partnered with NAMI-NYC for performances and connecting those in pain with resources to find help. Taking your struggles and turning them inside out to be worn as armor was something I learned as a bullied child, and the result has led to deeper friendships, a higher sense of self, and a resilience inside that I would’ve never thought possible.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I find perfection in flaws. That’s where beauty exists, in embracing your short comings and giving voice to things often unspoken. For ‘Don’t Mind If I Don’t,’ I am well aware I am in the wrong for not being interested in things like Shakespeare or bagpipes, so I’m honest about it in hopes that those more in the know can educate me, showing me the error of my ways and expanding my horizons. I have a similar mindset with ‘You Are Not Alone,’ using the mental health issues that have isolated me in the past and declaring them onstage in a comedy show. That isolation then becomes community, as others feel similarly, and now feel safe to share their experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: HeyItsAaronGold.com
- Instagram: @HeyItsAaronGold
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-gold-87949341/
- Twitter: @HeyItsAaronGold
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DontMindTheShow
Image Credits
Headshot by Coco Jourdana Stage shots by Christine Stoddard