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

Hi Brian, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I have been touring as a Comedian for over 25 years. Over the last 10 to 12 years, I started expanding my “entertainment career” into acting, DJ work, hosting events (trivia, bingo) and VO/audiobooks narration. I have managed to combine all these activities to become a full-time entertainer. Now, every day is filled with entertaining people, looking for gigs or a combination of both. This can be at home, in town, across the state, or country or even internationally.

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 started writing sketch comedy and short stories when I was a kid, I always wanted to be a writer and I still do. I think that is where everything in entertainment begins, with the written idea. After graduating high school, getting in the USAF and bumbling around for a few years, I started doing stand-up comedy. Eventually I was on the road performing and touring, but just getting. I always kept writing, whether it be stand-up, sketch, or whatever. I got into acting as a result of wanting to expand into other fields of entertainment, while learning more ways to make money as an entrainer such as being a DJ, hosting various live events and getting into VO work as well. I love being able to do all these different things, they all seem to feed off each other now. My stand-up has helped with my hosting duties, my acting has helped my stand-up act and also given me material from being on films sets and some of the experiences I’ve gone through. This is the dame with being a DJ and hosting trivia.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

On 09-11-2018 I had a massive heart attack and the next day I had quadruple bypass. It took me a few months, then I did my first few shows, with new material about the heart attack, and slowly stated making my way back to performing. Then, fast forward about a year and a half later and we all know what happened, COVID and the shutdowns. I lost all my entertainment work and had to rely on delivering pizza and working as a cashier at a Total Wine. It was rock bottom all over again and within the span of just a few years. As things slowly started to open up, and more comedy and acting gigs came up, I was able to cut back on delivering and cashiering until I cut them out altogether. Now, once again, all I do is entertain.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I just saw a great example of this at a red-carpet event I was at this past Saturday. It was for a short film, about 37 minutes long, that a High School student wrote when he was a freshman, and it took a little over 2 years for him to bring it all to fruition. He amassed an awesome team of crew, put out a casting notice and got some real actors for this passion project. It was not a paid gig, but I wanted to do it because it was a Spider-Man fan film, I can always use good footage and it was a way to give back by supporting this young man’s dream. I had never seen such support for a project like this, I have been and still are involved in independent films that, despite how much people promote the project, get little or no support. It’s a shame, especially when it’s a quality film and at times can be depressing, as you always hear that people “love and underdog”, which I was beginning to think was B.S. They love an Underdog when they make it, when their famous or do something “big”,.I can’t tell you how many times people have said” let me know when you’re in a real movie or a BIG movie”, but these same people are nowhere around when you’re struggling or learning your craft. Thank goodness I do have people in my life who have been very supportive. This young man, Timmons Flowers, not only had awesome support for “Spider-Man: The Dark Age” with nearly a hundred people showing up, but his friends and family produced a classy event from beginning to end. A red-carpet reception with pics and video, the film screening, a Q&A session afterwards with the director and us actors, with snacks & desserts afterwards. Just awesome evening.
I had something similar happen at a Comedy show I performed locally at an Elks club recently. It had been a while since I had done a public show in my hometown and some friends ask me if I would do a show for members of the Elks and they also opened it up to the public. They even sponsored the show and we had about 150 people show up, it was nearly sold-out!! I was blown away by the support and can’t wait to do another show in town, as I usually perform on the road.

Contact Info:

• Website: briantshirley.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.t.shirley.5/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briantshirley/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/briantshirley
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@btscharleston
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6376917/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk