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

Alright, Franky thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Yes and no. I struggle with this question. You hear all these stories of how comedians started and by 22 they were getting great spots and by 25 they were on the road and then all of a sudden they’re 30 and getting specials and that sort of thing. I started when I was 29 in 2021. It was a pretty lonely endeavor for me the first couple years. And you start to kick yourself like what was I doing just screwing off in my 20’s. Why didn’t I think of this sooner. But then you realize that comedy comes from life experience primarily. In that department I’ve been very fortunate to start later. I feel no shortage of things to talk about, stories to tell. I don’t have to worry about necessarily looking for material because my 20s were so transient and spontaneous. I get down on myself occasionally, wondering if I’d be further ahead by now. But my life has been so unorthodox and I love that there hasn’t been much of a blueprint to it. I know now that this was absolutely the right time for me to start. I just have to make sure I’m consistently working hard. The results shown always show up.

Franky , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hey! My name is Franky Jebb and I am a stand up comedian out of upstate New York. I’ve been chasing this sport for two and a half years now and it has totally consumed me. Ive always liked writing and performing. As a child I was always writing fictional stories, journaling, and performing for family and anyone around me. I remember showing family magic tricks, entertaining daily and I’m not proud of this but at one point I even ventured into ventriloquism. I jokingly tell my parents I resent them for allowing an 8 year old to play with a terrifying, manipulated doll.

Getting into comedy was a lonely endeavor for me for the first two years. I would drive 1 1/2 hours each way for 3-5 minutes of stage time. I wasn’t making connections, I wasn’t even getting consistent laughs for a long time. Bombing when you’re starting out and driving back alone, listening to audio clips of jokes with no reaction is absolutely crushing. It did give me a focus and a bit of a vengeance to do better though. So you go back and you do well or you don’t and just make sure that you stay disciplined. Discipline does equal results which has not been a constant in my life until I chose to chase comedy.

I have had a lot of unique experiences
To draw emotion from. From being from a big Irish catholic family, To my father being Pakistani and me looking so Caucasian, to being an Alaskan fisherman, ski patroller, river guide; I’ve
Immersed myself in a lot of unconventional jobs and communities. I feel very rich in experience. That is the thing that reminds me to work hard to tell these jokes. I don’t know a lot of comedians with that sort of resume. I chase experience and that always will set you apart on stage. I don’t want to talk about the daily observation, I want to talk about what makes me interesting. I don’t think you can lose if you keep it personal on stage.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I mean as a comedian the goal is laughter. Real, involuntary laughter. I am a very reactionary person. So when people can relate to that i just am glowing. It’s the best validation and it’s a great trade off. I love To work hard to write a joke and that see that pay off in real time with the audience releasing some serotonin just feels like a gift every time. And no matter what kind of day you just had, when you go up on stage and speak some Truth and it makes people feel something, the adrenaline you get after that is lasting and it’s hard to forget what that feels like. It’s a response I only get from going on stage.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

People always say I could never do what you do. I could never go on stage and be that vulnerable. I always disagree with that. It’s a question of what kind of validation do you need in your life. I know that I need to entertain. I need people to feel good when they are around me. Everyone gets validation in their lives. The way I get it is initially very daunting. Once you’re immersed in it though it’s not so much different than going to the gym or any other type of discipline.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @frankyjebbcomedy
• Facebook: Franky Jebb

Image Credits
Siobhan Levere