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

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

Sit back everyone as I spin a yarn about my journey to being a creative/artistic professional. The year was 2006 and I was a full-time employee of the United States Postal Service as a Mailhandler. It was great money with great benefits and I was miserable, all I did was work, come home smoke weed, sleep, and then repeat. I needed something fun in my life and like a sign from up high, I saw that the MadTv Writers were doing improv at The Chicago Improv festival. I loved MadTv and didn’t know what improv was, but also didn’t care. I saw the show and was blown away by that it was all made up on the spot. I went home and got on my Dell computer and looked up “improv”, “school”, and “Chicago”. It led me to The Second City where I signed up for sketch writing classes, which was the gateway drug to improv comedy.

Fast forward 3 years later and I’m deep in the improv/sketch comedy streets. Seeing shows, taking classes, and doing shows, I felt alive for the first time in a long time. The more I did comedy the less I went to work, two months straight I called in sick to work because I had the sick time. Finally, the post office offered employees who’d been there 10 years or more a buyout of $15,000 to make a clean break. I took it because they were also about to fire me, and I also wanted to go all in on comedy. I was now unemployed, broke, and had no insurance, but I was the happiest I’ve ever been, not to mention I was really good at it. In June/2009 I took the buyout and decided to pursue this comedy thing professionally.

It’s a very hard path, a very rejection-filled path, but it was a path filled with meeting amazing new people, traveling, and finding out who I am, and what I can accomplish. I’ve auditioned for SNL, I’ve written for Amber Ruffin, and I’ve taught countless students who have also taught me things. There have been extreme highs and extreme lows, which I’m going through now, and yet I continue to pursue this path. Why? Like I said, following this path, I’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been, and I’m really good at it. I’m just waiting for the right people to realize the second part. This concludes my Ted Talk, thank you for taking this journey with me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As I said before, I got into this because I wanted something fun to do to help cope with the mundane day-to-day routine of working at the post office. Taking sketchwriting classes led to improv classes which led me to quit the post office and pursue sketch/improv comedy.

I teach sketch/improv classes, in person and online. I also offer a fun Zoom class where I teach students the ins and outs of writing for a Late-night television show. The problems I solve with these classes are helping students find their voice and confidence in their creative work. Everybody’s trying to be the next someone and I teach them how to be the first them if that makes sense. Whether they want to be a better public speaker, be faster on their feet, create writing packets to submit to shows, solo sketch shows, become a tighter improv/sketch troupe, or figure out how to get across their point-of-view in writing/performing I got you. I do one-on-ones and groups.

What I’m most proud of is the amount of people I’ve been able to reach and seeing the joy on their faces when they have that ‘moment of realization and things click for them. I want potential clients/fans/followers to know that I will give you real answers, I will be open about my experiences and how to make the most out of my classes. I will let you know what you’re doing that works, what can be improved, and how to do it in a constructive fun way.

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

Being able to use my voice to call out injustices, or flaws in the system, but in a humorous way. Giving that spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. I love that I can take weird, fun, dumb ideas that I come up with in my mind, put them out for the world to see, and then have people relate to it makes me feel less alone in the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In a sketch class, I came up with an idea for a sketch that would parody the group New Edition’s song, “Mr. Telephone Man”. My teacher hated it and it didn’t get into the class show. Years later I was fortunate enough to pitch ideas for sketches with my group 3Peat to Comedy Central and I offered up the same parody song and once again it got rejected. Fast forward some years after that, I get hired to write for The Amber Ruffin Show, and I pitch the to them, and they love it, and it goes into the show.

I guess what I’m saying is believe in yourself and your ideas and don’t let the “no’s” stop you because all you need is one person to say yes.

BTW the song is called Mrs White Woman and it essentially calls out all those white women who call the police on Black people who are just out here trying to live their best lives.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @prowland76
• Facebook: www.facebook/psmoov123
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parowland
• Youtube: @psmoov
• Other: [email protected] to inquire about classes I teach.