We recently connected with Jared Chandler and have shared our conversation below.

Jared , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

For the last year, I have been producing a stand-up comedy showcase at Stella’s Pinball Arcade and Lounge in Greeley, Colorado. This project is meaningful to be because it is the most consistent comedy experience that the City has to offer and it also happens to be the place where I grew up.

Every Thursday I drive my 1996 Honda Accord an hour North of Denver to host a show of the funniest people I know. I appreciate the mutual exchange of joy between the performers and the crowd and I love that I am the one that gets to help make it happen. Without it comedy would barely have a heartbeat in Greeley and it’s important to me that the show continues to grow.

Jared , 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?

In middle school and high school, I was exposed to stand-up comedy. And I thought, “What is this? This is a thing? How are they making me laugh so much?” but I never considered it something I would do. In spite of that, I kept a small notebook of what I thought to be very funny ideas and stories. It wasn’t long until an opportunity arrived that I could perform stand-up for the first time in my Junior year of high school. We were asked to perform the comedy monologues that we auditioned with for a one-act play to make the night longer. I asked my instructor if I could write my own piece. She agreed, and it didn’t go terribly, and I’ve been searching for ways to get better ever since.

As a comedian, I provide an outlet for release in a live and public setting. I write and perform jokes to the best of my abilities to allow the audience to give themselves permission to feel good and enjoy themselves. We all laugh and have fun together and the experience of a great show is priceless. I’ve spent years building up an act to create consistent results. I perform at local venues and clubs as well as produce my own show in my hometown of Greely, CO. I love producing shows because it provides 1: an opportunity for comedians to work, 2: a way of promoting a local business and help them make money, and 3: it gives people a night out. It’s a win-win-win. I’m in brain chemistry business or as Pete Holmes would say, “…the release business”. I help people forget their problems for one night and enjoy being out and being alive.

What sets me apart from other comedians is that there is no one else like me. There is no one who has my act-outs and physicality on stage (maybe Dane Cook but the comparison stops there), no one with my particular way of telling jokes, and no one else with my story, experiences, and perspective. People should come to my shows because I’m always fun on stage and my goal is to make everyone feel included and happy.

As a personal brand, I am still in my infancy. My first set was my Junior year in 2014 but I didn’t really get INTO comey until 2015 post-graduating. At eight years in, I still feel like I’m just getting started. The more I recognize talent and the more I am around great comedy the more humbled I feel and the more motivated I become. People should know that I care about their experience at my show, that I am an excellent host and comedian, and that they should pay attention because I’m just getting started.

The thing I am most proud of is my room at Stella’s and all the work I have put into it. And before I go on let me be clear*- I am not self-made. Everything I am and do is because I have learned from someone else better than me and anything I have accomplished or ever will accomplish was done with the help of some excellent individuals. So I’m proud of Stella’s and all the shows we’ve done and I’d like to thank Ely, Matt, Austin, Carlos, Shannon, Carter, Landon, and Frank for helping make it all happen.

I’m also proud that I’m still here and I’m still at it. This is not a phase, this is who I am, and I’m proud that I can say that with integrity. It’s not always easy, in fact, it’s very hard sometimes, but it is always worth it and it is all part of the journey.

I love stand-up and it saved my life. It helps me and it helps others and it is one of the purist forms of entertainment and healthiest forms of joy and that is why I feel so compelled to be a part of it.

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

You can go to shows. You can leave the house, buy a ticket and some drinks, and relax, cause we got you fam! The best way to support artists and performers is to support them. Share the posts and engage on social but be out there in the world with them. Show up and hang out and bring some people. Go to an art show, buy from Etsy, go to a concert or a comedy show, and talk with the performers afterward. Offer encouragement and note specific things that you enjoyed. It means so much and really helps us.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A recent one I can share just shortly after moving to Denver in 2021. I had been selected for a highly coveted performance at a club. It takes weeks to get on the show and it is a big deal for new comics. It had been a while since my last time there and I was anxious after moving to the big city. I did a joke that I had always enjoyed performing and I thought it was an 8/10 set. The venue offers notes after the show and my notes were nothing short of embarrassing. The comic giving the notes asked me several questions which all made it seem like I had no idea what I was doing. They were rough to say the least. Although I don’t think it was his goal, the notes made me feel very discouraged and unsure of myself. “How could I be doing comedy this long and still get notes like this? Have I ever been funny? Why am I still doing this if I am still this bad at it?” I would ask myself. This happened in front of the other comics on the show, my peers, and I felt foolish and disheartened.

I brushed it off. “Oh well,” I thought, “This will just be a great story one day and it will make me stronger”. About four months later I signed up to be in a roast battle with another local comic. The goal is to say clever but mean jokes about the other person, all in the spirit of camaraderie and not to shame the other person. All was well until my opponent began reading the notes from the show that night- verbatim. I don’t know how he got the notes considering he wasn’t even there, but I do know that I went white, my smile faded, and I left the stage without waiting to hear who one. “How is this coming back again? I just go over this!”

It was tough and though I would never consider quitting comedy, the thought did cross my mind. I newer comic might have. What allowed me to persist was reminding myself that this was part of it. This was always supposed to happen after a big shift like moving to a new city. If I didn’t have any setbacks or face obstacles, then I’m playing the wrong game! I knew it would get better if I kept going, and since then I’ve advanced in two comedy competitions and have gotten my first booked weekend at a club. The harder the ball hits the ground, the higher it goes up. The farther back you pull the bow, the farther the arrow travels.

Contact Info:

• Website: Soon…
• Instagram: @_jaredchandler
• Facebook: Jared Chandler
• Youtube: @jaredchandler923
• Other: @Stella’spinball My podcast is called “Stretch Yourself” on Spotify: spotify.link/RSAYr57BeCb