Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jim Meskimen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I remember being newly arrived in New York City in the early 80’s, to begin my acting career.
NYC then, as now, was full of working actors. People from films, from Broadway. I would see them on the streets, in stores, on the train.
I made it a habit of asking them for advice, if they could spare the time.
One fellow I recognized on Fifth Avenue one afternoon was an old stage actor I had just seen in a production of a William Saroyan play, The Time of Your Life. His name was Bill McCutcheon. His face was unforgettable.
I stopped him and introduced myself and asked him my question: “what advice do you have for a guy like me just starting out?”
“Persistence” was his answer.
At that time, I was 23 or 24. I thought I knew what persistence was. I had been persisting in my pursuit of an acting career for about three months. That was my yardstick. I thought I knew something about what Bill must have meant.
But after a few years of struggle and only minor progress in my career, I recalled what this experienced pro had said, and it dawned on me: Oh! PERSISTENCE!
I realized that one has to really settle in for the long haul, and find ways to actively persist; to create the career, to work on one’s skills, to make connections, to be patient, but to also move things forward day after day after day…
Many of us decide to become actors but then, after some losses, move on to something less daunting.
If one persists, and continues to try and offer better and better performances, opportunities will manifest.
Now I’m about forty years into my career. I’m still persisting, despite invitations to do something else.
Bill McCutcheon’s advice, which I had misestimated at the time he gave it, has proven to be useful.

Jim, 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?

My superpower seems to be that I can readily duplicate the voices of famous people.
Actually, i can duplicate (make an impression of) people who aren’t famous, too, but that’s not as marketable.
I do it for animation, for films and TV, and in my live JIMPRESSIONS shows.
Beyond replicating the sound of the celebrities that I do, I can also take on their point of view; that’s acting.
Call me “an actor who does impressions.”
It’s a sort of a “niche” career, but does overlap into more conventional acting work on TV and film, animation etc.
I look at impressions as one tool in my tool kit.
Any good actor can take on a well-known character, to help tell a story. I flatter myself that I do it with a high degree of fidelity.
I also enjoy performing impressions in person, to make audiences laugh and enjoy themselves. It’s like a magic trick, and I love to hear the reaction of a crowd to one of my impressions.
I’m not a stand-up comic, but there are aspects of my career that have been comparable, as a live entertainer, MC or host.
I’m equally proud of my dramatic work, and acting in projects that don’t involve me imitating someone more famous.
My goal as a performer is always to serve the story, to have an effect on an audience that is, ultimately, positive.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started using YouTube as a promotional tool back in 2009, but didn’t really use it very regularly until 2011. I built an audience for my live shows by making a video of part of my act.
I was trying, at that time, to fill a small theater that would hold about 60 or 70 people.
Since I was in LA, it was not an easy thing to do.
My first viral video was “Shakespeare in Celebrity Voices”, which I released one day in July. It was the “flashiest” part of the show, the one I could always guarantee would create a big effect on audiences.
It reached half a million views pretty quickly, and eventually topped a million. More importantly, it got audiences in to the theater, and I had to add shows to accommodate them all.
It also showed me that there was a lot of potential interest in my impressions, and that I should keep creating along those lines on a regular basis.
I continue to use YouTube, and put up impressions videos every day. My audience is not huge, but I have built a community from interacting with the people who find me.
I branched off into TikTok and Instagram, where I have enjoyed many video hits with views in the millions. These also serve as a good indicator of what people want from me as an artist.
I’ve also made a lot of friends with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Often, perfect strangers approach me to tell me they love my “work”.
I advise anyone who wants to expand their careers as performers to upload videos on a daily basis and begin to reach out to the world audience, interacting with them, answering their questions and acknowledging their comments.
It may seem silly, or like a bottomless pit, but if you can find something that you enjoy creating, putting it on social media for others to discover will eventually bear fruit, and could even move you ahead in your career.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The book A New Slant on Life, by L. Ron Hubbard, is one I return to again and again.
I recommend it to anyone interested in improving their understanding of life, business and art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jimmeskimen.com
• Instagram: @jimpressions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.meskimen
• Twitter: @jimrossmeskimen
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jimmeskimen