We were lucky to catch up with Mary Becquet recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I still don’t earn all of my living from my creative work, but I haven’t given up trying. This year, in addition to writing and performing, I helped found a vocational school for standup comedy, improv and related arts! Our school is called the Comedy Arts Academy. We are powered by the super-app Vezbi, and plan to teach both remote and in-person classes using the platform for many aspects of the work. Among our instructors are former national touring headliners, members of famous improv troupes, and other working artists. I’m very passionate about nurturing new talent and it brings me great joy to see our students succeed!! We offer multiple layers of support to help our students find work in their chosen artistic fields. The Comedy Arts Academy is in our first year of operation – we are loving the work and the students, and we have big plans for the future.

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?

I came to comedy later in life, but my background made me a fighter. I was raised in the small rural town of Manor, Texas, where I managed to cut my own finger off in a shop accident at age 18. I am frequently asked: “You have nine fingers, you call that a disability?” I do. When I graduated high school, I had one goal: To get out of Manor.

I went to college and I majored in Chinese because my then-boyfriend told me I was “too dumb to learn Chinese.” Not only did I learn the language, I went and lived in China for 2 years after graduation, just to make sure he got the point. While living in China, I earned less than $75 a month, rode a bicycle everywhere and ate humble street foods every day. When I came home from China, I had one goal: To never be poor again.

I went to business school, got an MBA and met my now-husband Mike, a degreed chef, in the 90’s. I do not understand what Mike sees in me, but I lovehim and appreciate both his cooking and his chef-inspired germaphobia. In the 90’s and 00’s, I built a career in Corporate Finance and rose to Vice President of Finance at a major motion picture studio in Los Angeles. I became disillusioned with corporate life and began to write insults about my boss in my work notebook.

The most important thing to remember when you create a “burn book” of insults about your boss is that your boss should never find that book. I made a critical error, leaving it on my desk one day when I snuck off work early to go to a baseball game. In tear-filled meeting the next day (where I was nearly fired!), I made up a lie that the burn book was NOT filled with real insults about my boss, but instead was my new “Stand Up Comedy Routine.”

That same day I signed up for my first Comedy Class. I studied with world-famous comedian Bobbie Oliver, at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, in order to back up my lie. Since then, I have passionately written and performed standup comedy all over the world while turning in lackluster performances at a variety of ongoing corporate day jobs. I could not be happier!!

And today, I am a Los Angeles and San Antonio,Texas-based comedian and actress. And co owner of a comedy school!! I have appeared on Hulu, Oxygen, Starz, and NBC – in addition to too many public access TV channels to mention. I’ve performed live standup comedy in clubs, theaters and dive bars across America, Europe and China, opening for hundreds of people more famous than I am!! One of my favorite gigs was playing the Merry Lion in Singapore in 2019 opening for Nigel “Uncle Roger” Ng. He criticized my Singaporean accent worse than he criticized the way Gordon Ramsey cooks rice. It was delightful.

In my acting career, I have been in many commercials featuring products for the elderly. I also write and produce my own comedy short videos which you can see any old time on TikTok.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The best book I’ve ever read for focus, strength and advice is Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” Our brains and our thoughts when used with focused intensity are unbeatable!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to help other women find their power by establishing and building female-centric networks and partnerships whoever I go. It is my pleasure to lend a hand to women artists whenever and wherever I am able to do so.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://comedyartsacademy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/marybecquet?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryBecquet?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybecquet
• Other: Tiktok: @marybecquet and  Comedy School!! https://www.comedyartsacademy.com