Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jermaine Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jermaine, appreciate you joining us today. 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?
I quit my full-time job as a radio host in 2019 to pursue comedy and content creation full-time. I wanted the freedom of creating my own work schedule and honestly, there were many months that I made my entire year’s salary in just a weekend from doing shows and online sales.
Jermaine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started comedy in 2005 after watching guys from my hometown (Birmingham, AL) have success on stage and radio. Most notably Roy Wood Jr, Tre Williamson and Rickey Smiley. They laid a path that made me think comedy was possible.
My business, MaineAttraktions LLC produces live events, creates content and sells merchandise for sports fans online.
For our clients, we collaborate and activate their ideas. Most companies have good ideas within their walls, but they don’t always know how to bring the vision to life. That’s where we come in!
I am most proud of myself for professional growth over the years. I’ve learned the business side of entertainment/social media and I’m still open to learn new things everyday.
I’d like for potential clients/followers/fans to know that I haven’t peaked. I’m just getting started! That’s the approach everyday that keeps me hungry for more.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me as a creative is knowing that people can relate to and enjoy all of these random thoughts and ideas in my head. When an idea makes it from my brain to social media and it is well received, that’s a rewarding feeling.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I won a comedy competition in 2010 to open for Steve Harvey. There were 32 comedians competing and I went on stage in the 31st spot. I was concerned that the crowd & judges would be tired and that the other comics would use up all the topics. But I sat and watched all 30 comedians ahead of me to see what they talked about, didn’t talk about and how they moved on stage. I noticed that all of them just came and stood in one spot to perform, so when I came out I was moving all across the stage and I never repeated a subject that was already mentioned.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.funnymaine.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/funnymaine
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/funnymaine
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/funnymaine
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@funnymaine
- Other: Retail site: www.rundabawl.com