Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben Jennings. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Ben thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I’ve always been interested in stand up comedy and what makes something “funny”. Turns out, it’s very subjective and something that is funny in one show, doesn’t mean it’s funny the next. Reading the room is a skill that comes in very handy with stand up. And since I was homeschooled, reading the room is something I’ve had to learn the hard way. One day I’d like to be able to read in general.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Ben Jennings and I am an alc… a stand up comedian. I have always been unfunny and I decided it was time for the world to know. I have always admired the way that comedians view the world and their way of taking something ordinary and making it funny. I have a dying need to be liked by everyone and early on I noticed that the class clown was usually the most liked kid on the block!
Being a straight white cis male is what definitely sets me apart from the other comedians. My unique perspective of the world has never been heard before by a comedy audience.
One thing that I do actually enjoy is bringing some darker humor to an audience and having some sort of underlying point I’m making with a subject from which most people would stay away. For me, joking about something that shouldn’t be joked about really comes down to an expression of how I cope with life’s hardships.
It’s been over two years since I started comedy to win the approval of my father, I mean people. Ultimately, I just want to make the world laugh, starting with my local community. I produce many shows around my hometown of Greenville, SC and it’s wonderful feeling to see a blend of familiar faces and strangers all sharing a moment of laughter together regardless of what everyone has going on in their lives.
Eliciting laughter and not upsetting anyone is the goal. The laughter of my friends is something I highly value and I wanted to see if I could take that to the public. Maybe one day I’ll finally get a laugh.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part is hearing someone say, “There were some really funny people on that show and also you were on it too!” Really just the participation trophy is what I was raised to live for. #Millenial
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
One day I went to the app store and downloaded Instagram. I had never been a big social media guy, I’m only 5’11” so I’m only average. I kept downloading the Ke$ha song TikTok before my gen Z brother showed me how to use the app instead.
I did make a video impersonating Perry the Platypus, but I don’t think I was fooling anyone. (That’s actually real, check my TikTok for the first video I ever uploaded.)
From there people just started hitting the follow button by accident when trying to click away from my profile. And that’s how I built my empire of under 1,000 followers. The algorithm is the funniest joke anyone has ever written.
Contact Info:
- Website: BenJenningsComedy.com
- Instagram: @BenJenningsComedy
- Facebook: Ben Jennings
- Twitter: @BenJComedy
- Youtube: BenJenningsComedy
- Other: Linktree: www.linktr.ee/BenJenningsComedy Threads: BenJenningsComedy