We recently connected with Craig Mitchell and have shared our conversation below.

Craig, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes, in 1987 I launched my career in Stand Up Comedy. At first it was as someone suggested to me “just a way to stay fresh on stage …as an actor” But very quickly I found I had an aptitude for it. My first time on stage was at Stand Up NY on Feb 8th 1987. By the July 4th weekend I was a guest performer at The East Side Comedy Club on Long Island. By October I was booked for a week in Ormond Beach, FL to middle for Margaret Smith. My ascention to a working comic was very, very fast. In retrospect I was in over my head, but I didn’t realize or care. I had a bit in my act called “The Mechanized Comedian” that was breakthrough and a big audience please. The rest of my act was rather rudimentary and by my current standards, simplistic. But, my closing bit got me noticed and got me bookings. Fast. By the end of 1988 Stand Up Comedy was my main source of income, and it remained that way until I moved to Los Angeles in 2001.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I always wanted to entertain. I always wanted to be on TV. I remember watching sitcoms of the 60’s like “The Lucy Show” and “Family Affair” and fantasizing of having my own show someday. When I was very, very young, I would go through my days pretending that my real life was a sitcom, indeed, it was more of a melodrama (LOL). In High School I never acted, even though I wanted to. It wasn’t until I was in college that I started taking theater courses. However, in my third year, I dropped out of college and I joined a 8 week theater workshop that culimnated with a short scene from “Summer and Smoke” Two producers who were casting for a local community production of “Cactus Flower” saw me and they cast me as Harvey Greenfield. I was 21 playing 40. It was a comedy and at times the audience was howling at my actions on stage and I was addicted. From there I never stopped. I appeared in dozens of shows, in 1984 I joined AFTRA (at that time separate from SAG) Then I got booked with an Under-5 part on Saturday Night Live in 1987 and that got me into SAG.. As of today I have done over 60 shows, including musicals and have made several movies and have many TV appearances. I have studied with Ron House, Duane Whitaker and Bill Smitrovich. While I take acting seriously, comedy is my thing. I love being funny and I love doing comedy roles. I’ve never felt the need to do heavy dramas or even much classic theatrer. Classic to me is being like Jack Benny or Red Skelton or Laurel and Hardy, hell, even the Three Stooges. It’s where my heart lies. It doesn’t make me less as an actor. It makes me happy.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Yes. So many times I get asked. “Why do you do it?” It’s not for money. It’s not for fame (while both would be nice, I suppose.) I do it because I love it. I do it because I have to. I have been pursuing acting formarlly since I was 21. As of this interview that 44 years. I have devoted my life to this endeavor. There is a sacrifice that non-creatives don’t get. Even when I was working steady as a stand-up comic I still had other back up or survival jobs that provided regular funds and money. Today I drive Ride Share to support my pursuit the arts. Non-creaties might see my career as a failure. Not even close. I create. I act, I write jokes and make people laugh because it’s what I was made to do. No matter what.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I’m gonna take this question in a different direction, but still answer it. Yes, there were resources I was not aware of. Those resources are within me. Since 2017 I have been self producing a cooking show called “Off the Cuff: Healthy Cooking with Craig Mitchell” It’s a comedy cooking show that concentrates on low carb and sugar free cooking. I wear all the hats on it’s production and I have excelled at writing scripts, comedy and production and editing. Those are resources I always had a knack for. I wish I had taken advantage of that eariler in my life and career. Who knows where I’d be today. But I also believe that I am where I am supposed to be and today my confidence in myself and my talent has never been higher.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://offthecuffwithcraigmitchell.com
• Instagram: @offthecuffcraigmitchell
• Facebook: offthecuffwithcraigmitchell
• Youtube: @offthecuffcraig