We recently connected with Bill Chott and have shared our conversation below.
Bill , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most meaningful project of my life has just begun, Camp Wekantu. WeKanTu Kidz empowers kids of all abilities to gain confidence to be successful in life through creative expression. We’ll be teaching improv, acting, dance and other activites in the arts. You can find more info about it here: https://wekantu.org/
As an actor, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was the film The Ringer, a Farrelly Brothers’ film starring Johnny Knoxville about Special Olympics. It’s a comedy about a man who tries to illegally rig the Special Olympics in an attempt to pay a debt. I know…it doesn’t sound very meaningful on its surface. It sounds downright offensive.
But the film was approved and made in conjunction with Special Olympics, many of the roles in the film were played by actual Special Olympians and a representative from the organization was on set every day. To this day, no film has been made with as many people with disabilities both in starring and supportive roles.
We were able to make a huge difference in the way younger audiences treated and respected their fellow students with disabilities. Since then, I’ve taken part in many Special Olympics events, teaching improv to the Global Messengers of Special Olympics and I toured my home state of Missouri with Special Olympian Kristina Rhodes to support Special Olympics efforts to “Spread the Word to End the R Word”.
This foundational work has led me to my current passion of Wekantu.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Most people know me as Disney’s “Mr. Laritate” from Wizards of Waverly Place, or the Farrelly Brothers film The Ringer, or my voice work on the SNL cartoons “The Ambiguously Gay Duo” and “X-Presidents”. I also played the Mailman on This is Us and my first TV job was as a writer and cast member on the Dana Carvey Show, alongside Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell.
I started workin in comedy in Chicago at the famous Second City, where I toured the country with comedy legends like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch. I learned improvisation and how to create comedy in the moment. This was some of my most valuable training.
In addition to acting, writing and performing comedy, I also teach celebrity workshops for companies hoping to use improv as a way to improve communication, sales, and teamwork. I’ve worked with companies large and small and they all report a positive impact in listening and communication. It feels so great to take this skill that I use in performing and show people how to use the same techniques to take their current skill set to the next level.
I also perform in “The Charlatans”. with Dave Cox, in which we present Magic, Music and Improv all on the same stage in a vaudeville-style revue. We perform at The Magic Castle, Illusions Comedy Lounge at at venues and festivals nationwide. We’re developing an off-broadway show as well.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Just two years ago I was diagnosed ADHD. I have achieved a lot in life despite my diagnosis, but I wish that I had known many years earlier. I wish I had access to the strategies I now employ to save myself valuable time and money and maintain relationships.
I’ve always been able to achieve a lot in a short amount of time, but he stress I’ve added to myself with unnecessary doubt and worry and last minute pressure.
Some of the techniques I’ve learned include setting reminders even when I don’t think I’ll need one, checking my daily calendar more than once throughout the day. I’ve also learned the importance of setting early deadlines for projects that may not need a deadline or may be put off. I can’t give myself that luxury because one of the challenges of ADHD is time blindness.
People with ADHD also encounter rejection sensitive dysphoria in which we think that people are rejecting us, or upset with us when that is often far from the truth. Another big gift is giving myself the grace to understand that if I make a mistake or my home isn’t spotless or if every box isn’t checked on time, it’ll be OK. It helps me to give more grace to others as well.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I started with social media on MySpace (ugh!) back in 2005. I was amazed at Dane Cook’s ability to host on SNL without having been in a film or TV project,. I could see then that a social media following was going to be key in the entertainment industry.
I probably spent too much time trying to build a following online at first. That’s because like everything else, it’s not about long trying hours slaving away at.a project, it’s about daily persistence. I now have a following of 136K on TikTok and it’s due to creating content consistently and not spending hours trying to force engagement., or create an avalanche of content. 
Contact Info:
- Website: theimprovtrick.com
- Instagram: @billchott
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theimprovtrick
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billchott/
- Twitter: @billchott
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/billchott
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-improv-trick-pasadena-2?osq=the+IMprov+Trick
Image Credits
Ian Zandi, Alex Lee, Eddie Sakaki