We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremy Long. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremy below.
Jeremy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Honestly, and I really don’t mean to sound cliche, but I have wanted to pursue a career in the arts for as long as I can remember. I grew up an only child and, although I surrounded myself with lots of friends, I never had the built in playmate of a sibling. My parents are both great and I had a wonderful upbringing, so much so that one could wonder how I ended up becoming a stand-up comic, but parents are adults with lives too and can’t spend every waking moment with their child, which I understand more now that I am older and view my mother and father as people, too, and not just my parents; its a bit of a strange concept. Anyway, my point is, due to this very particular upbringing that I feel only only-children would be able to relate to, I spent a lot of time in front of the television set and, thus, discovered my love of film and television at a very early age.
This evolved as I got older and in high school, or possibly even late middle school, I started writing and directing little home movies with friends and kids around the neighborhood on a small camcorder that my parents bought me. Everything from short films to features and music videos, I gotta say, I was a very creative and resourceful kid. That’s not to say that any of these films were any good, on the contrary they would probably make The Room look like The Godfather, but I was teaching myself, learning as I go, and most importantly, fueling my creative side at a very early age. Had I not explored that while I was young, nor had such supportive parents that encourage this artistic side, I highly doubt I would have had the confidence, much less the tenacity, to finally end up pursuing this filmmaking stuff once I finally went off to college.
Once in college, I immediately started taking theater and acting classes, since that is what I thought I wanted to be at that time; an actor. I was not particularly good at it, nor had any prior training in it before these college course, so I am unsure where this false sense of confidence came from, but there I was, thrown into the deep end, ready for someone to spot me in the crowd of a performance and give me my own sitcom. Of course, now that I have been in the business for the better part of a decade, I know that is far from how it works, unless you are extremely lucky or look like Brad Pitt. Not only was I being naive, but I realized very quickly that I was not good at this whole acting thing. I watched other people on tv and in shows, or even other people in my class, and they seemed to have a real knack for it. Not me. Perhaps 18 year old Jeremy was being too hard on himself. After all, most people aren’t good at things right away, that’s what the classes were for and practice. Maybe if I committed myself, and studied hard, 24/7, I could become the best. But, I realized I didn’t want that life.
It took me a while, but I discovered that the only reason I wanted to be an actor so badly is because I had not yet found out about all of the other roles that go into making a film or television show. As a viewer of media, all we really see are the performers. Those are the one’s who are in the limelight, become famous, etc. They are front and center. So, it was natural for my teenage brain to link the two and decide that if I wanted to work in film, I must want to be an actor. Its a very natural delineation for anyone who know nothing about the industry to make. Hell, I still don’t think my mom knows the difference between DP and a caterer. But, boy was I wrong. The following semester I made it a point to take as wide a variety of film courses as I could and one of those courses ended up being Intro to Screenwriting, where I absolutely fell with what I believe is my true calling in the creative/artistic path: writing.
Jeremy, 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?
I was born, I lived, and now here I am today. For a less detailed description of me, please feel free to visit my IMDb page.
I kid, I kid, hmm where to begin. I describe myself as a writer and stand up comedian living and working in Los Angeles, California, however I also have a “day job” working in the wonderful world of Reality Television. Still creative, still in the industry and allowing me to pursue my other creative ventures at the same time. Additionally, I am a drummer on the side and have been in several bands/projects over the years.
I was born in a very small town in central Pennsylvania and graduated from Palmyra Area High School in 2010, at which point I furthered my education at Penn State University for Film & Communications, with a minor in English to make sure I was completely unemployable. While in college learning the mechanics and theory of the film industry, I was also actively pursuing creative opportunities and trying to learn as much as I could in my own time, as well.. I began writing a lot, both short and feature films, and even still tried my hand in acting here and there, in short films and major motion pictures as a background actor. mostly just to be on the sets and try and soak up as much as I possibly could, constantly learning and asking questions.
Believe it or not, I also began my stand up career in high school. I was dared by some friends to do it at a school talent show sophomore year, since I was always a sort of class clown, minus the costume, they all automatically assumed I would be good at it. Well, I guess I proved them right, because I won the talent show and fell in love with the craft, continuing to perfect it and eventually performing all over the east coast, often traveling to Philly, Pittsburgh or even New York City. I continued performing stand up comedy while in college and, after moving to Los Angeles, my comedy career really took off. To this day, I have performed on some of the most well known stages in comedy history, such as The Comedy Store and the Hollywood Improv, and opened for some of the biggest names in comedy, such as Adam Sandler and Marc Maron
In 2010, while in college, I started my own little independent production company Winston Simmons Productions, which is still active to this day. It’s not an official LLC or anything like that, but I did use the name to help produce my very first feature film ever, Tenacity and Gratitude: The Frank Cotolo Story (2014) which is a documentary directed, produced, written and edited by me about my long time friend and comedic mentor Frank Cotolo. Frank is a renowned entertainer, joke writer for all the great comics of the 70s and 80s, as well as being head writer and on-air partner for radio legend Wolfman Jack. What started out as a simple final project in college turned into something so much more and, due to Cotolo’s already existing fanbase from his own lustrous Hollywood career, the film did pretty well overall. Though I applied my college knowledge to this first film, I was also, in many ways, learning as I went. So, even though it may be rough around the edges, and overall made on a shoestring budget, I poured my heart and soul, as well as many hours of my teenage life, into that project and still couldn’t be more proud of it to this day.
After graduating from Pennsylvania State University, I promptly moved to Los Angeles, California, a mere few months later, to further my career in the entertainment industry. After moving to Los Angeles, I started working for the television series The Carbonaro Effect (2014) on TruTv, which began my rein in the reality television industry right off the bat, working on too many shows to count since then. In 2017, I formed a new production company named Long Dick Films with my friend Meg Dick, daughter of actor/comedian Andy Dick, and wrote, produced and directed several short films under that moniker, perhaps most notably Tied to the Past (2017), humbly sitting at nearly 125 thousand views on YouTube as we speak, and Retired Cupid (2018), which won the Award of Excellence at the Global Shorts Film Festival. I also continued doing some background and minor featured acting after moving out to LA and have been featured in episodes of classic television shows such as Do No Harm (2013), NCIS (2003), Mom (2013), and The Goldbergs (2013), as well as hit shows such as The Muppets (2015), Code Black (2015), and Supergirl (2015), among others. I have also been featured in films such as Jack Reacher (2012) and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). Though my career is in writing, it is still sometimes fun to do and will act in friends and fellow creatives projects if they ask me.
In 2017, my very first feature, non-documentary, feature film, Clickbait (2018), went into production. I wrote the screenplay and, having completed filming later that year, it had a rather impressive run in the festival circuit in fall of 2018 and into 2019, winning several awards along the way. The film released on Blu-ray and DVD later that year and can also currently be viewed on a multitude of streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime. I also recorded my very first stand up comedy special in front of a live audience in April of 2018. I currently have several other projects in the works, including trying to get my second feature film off the ground, though a series of unfortunate events, not the Jim Carrey movie, has caused extreme delays on that, such as the pandemic and the recently resolved writer’s strike.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
For lack of a better answer, I will simply say that the arts need to be better funded in schools across the country so that creatives can thrive at an early age and feel supported and encouraged, rather than feeling as though a career in the arts is not a logical option. It’s 2023, we are past that old wive’s tale. People from all walks of life can and do “make it” in the arts every single day. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a competitive field to enter, not to mention that the business side of show business is absolutely F’ed, hence the recent strikes. But, when it comes down to it, it all depends on how you measure success. If you measure it by fame or wealth, then you will definitely have a harder time reaching that goal, as it will be much more of a struggle. However, if you measure it by being able to simply make a living doing what you love, well that right there is a very achievable dream, and the one that I am striving for every day.
Because the arts are so much more than just my particular fields previously mentioned of film, television and stand up comedy. Art is also music and slam poetry, painting and sculpting, photography and literature, theater and dance, and even architecture. Art comes in so many forms and hundreds of thousands of people are thriving in it every day. So, aside from creating a safe and nurturing space for young artists to learn and thrive, I am not sure I have a better, less stereotypical answer. We want art to be able to flow right out of children naturally, like Taco Bell food twelve minutes after eating it; not for them to feel stifled in their creativity. Otherwise, I mean, let’s face it, society is already supporting artists and creatives every day.
We rent movies or go to the cinema, we stream music while we work of go for a walk and admire the buildings. Art is being supported nearly every second of every day and, quite frankly, always will be, because people need art in their lives. People need art in their lives just as much as artists need to create art. Art is therapeutic. People go to the movies or a concert to escape their every day lives for a few hours. Art is a community experience. Art promotes culture and tourism. Hell, art, at its best, can even be used to promote social change, as we have seen more and more in recent years. Art is a huge part of our society, whether people like to admit it or not, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. People say that the movie theaters are dying, but they’ve been shouting that since 2005 and, pandemic aside, they continue to thrive; just ask Nicole Kidman. Art has been around since the prehistoric man would do cave drawings, what makes anyone think is going away now?
Societies need art and creativity to survive. Art stimulates the human mind and helps people understand the world around them. On a grand scale, art can make a society more stable and give it direction. On a more personal scale, it can serve to develop a sense of self-identity. Art, in all its various forms, offers people the opportunity to express themselves, ask questions, address issues, document history, and record events as they happen. It allows people to imagine a new future, explore an alternative universe, and dream up new realities. Creativity allows societies to grow through change and accept that things and ideas can evolve over time. This means that art is critical for the flexibility to accept change within a society.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I don’t want to sound cliche, which I feel as though I have been saying for all of my answers, but it is true. And, yes, I am aware it is also cliché to point out your cliche-ness, so my apologies. But, there is no other way to put it and to say any other answer would be a lie – the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and/or creative is the gratification, the satisfaction, the fulfillment, the synonyms.
I know fellow artists and creatives reading this will understand, and sadly others may not, but there are few feelings in life better than that of recognition and accolades of your artistic work. Artistic work, I mind you, that you poured your heart and soul into. Your whole sense of self. Part of you is in that piece of art and then to see it received and hopefully digested the way you intended is a marvelous thing. Whether that be, for me, with a film I wrote or a show I worked on, where the validation and reception is often times months later, or with my stand up comedy, where that attention and validation is immediate…unless you bomb.
Speaking of stand up, that is truly a whole separate beast in terms of reaping the rewards of your creative endeavor. Most comedians will tell you, that feeling of immediate satisfaction up on stage when a joke truly lands and the all eyes on you crowd is eating out of the palm of your hand is nearly indescribable. It’s a drug, truly. It can get to the point where you feel more comfortable being on stage than off; constantly being the center of attention, which has its pros and cons, I suppose. It can absolutely be an addiction for some people, no doubt about it. Luckily, it is an addiction that I have been able to withstand during my over decade long stand up career. Heroin, on the other hand, I am still trying to kick. Just kidding!
Dang, this question really went off the rails. I mean, it got out of hand fast. I am supposed to be talking about the rewarding nature of art and now I am comparing it to drug addiction. Yikes, okay, here I go circling back. Most people hate their jobs, I think that is safe to say. They are going through he motions day after day and seek fulfillment elsewhere; with friends, family, hobbies, etc. For creatives, their work is their fulfillment. Their job brings them joy. And I will not use the stupid saying “you don’t work a day in your life” because even artists have jobs they don’t like as much or even days that are rough. But, that fulfillment and satisfaction from something that you do for a living is unparalleled. And, putting your creation out into the world is scary; downright terrifying. No matter how confident you were when making it, now suddenly you have no idea how it will be received and it is out of your hands. And, yes, the unfortunate truth is that sometimes it is not received well. And, due to how much of yourself is put into your art, that can hurt; a lot. But, when it is received well, or dare I say even praised, there’s just no other feeling like it. *That* is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and/or creative, in my book.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremylong/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ComedianJeremyLong
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-long-b8a267117/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeremyLongMD
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IDrinkForAReason/featured
Image Credits
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