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

Hi Kris, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

My grandmother owned a beauty salon when I was younger. It was pretty much where I grew up and basically one of the first jobs I had; answering phones, greeting customers and cleaning. My mom and several other women also worked at the salon. My grandmother was always intrigued with my sense of humor. So one day, she purchased a joke book for me that was as thick as a phone book from back in the day. I cherished that joke book so much! I would recite all of the jokes in the book to multiple other beauticians that worked there as well as their clients. It truly blew me away to see people respond so happily hearing a funny punchline. It was something I was addicted to from that moment on. The gift of laughter.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello. My name is Kris Shaw. I’m a touring standup comedian based out of Vegas.

I’ve had the opportunity to perform all over the world and have some amazing experiences that further created who I am today. Standup in the beginning was a dream for me. A dream that I never anticipated on not only happening but also a dream that I had full control over. I feel that true art pulls you in; and that’s what standup did for me. It’s therapy, it’s a hobby and it’s the only medicine of its kind that you don’t need a prescription for.

As a younger kid, jokes actually protected me from bullies on tons of occasions. It’s ironic how infectious it is even to mean people.

I used to study storytellers like George Burns, Steve Martin, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor. Those guys were my top 5! They mastered the art of storytelling and commanded the attention of their captive audiences unlike any other to me. The crafted words , the silences and the facial expressions were the most particular parts that drew me in.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey has shifted in the last year or so. I was always big as a kid on sounds affects, voices of characters on shows and commercials. I would do impressions when I was alone but never fully exposed them until later on in life.

The response I received encouraged me to redirect my journey from mostly standup to doing voice over work and commercials. I will always have passion for standup and it will always be my first love. I also would like to see how creative I can be in other avenues of entertainment.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me as an artist is traveling the world. I’ve met some amazing people and experienced things that most people will only know from the internet or reading about it in a book. The knowledge I have from these experiences is far beyond any award I’ve ever received..

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.krisshaw.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealkrisshaw?igsh=MWpyd2psY3h5aDVycw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: Therealkrisshaw
• Youtube: Krisshaw1
• Other: TikTok: TheReakBrownKris