We recently connected with Tyler Ross and have shared our conversation below.

Tyler, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I worked at a Chicago public school for almost 10 years and have been providing for myself exclusively from the money made in comedy and my event hosting business

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

I have been performing stand up comedy for 12 years and during that time I have developed a very DIY mindset in regards to booking and stage time. I did my first open mic in college while attending Kent State and quickly found that I was focusing more on comedy than class. Eventually I dropped out and moved to Chicago. I took improv classes in town, I did as many open mics as I could and attended shows. Instead of waiting around for shows to give me stage time, I have pursued my own ways of working on my craft. One way is working with specialized communities to find ways to directly find audiences. I have worked with independent venues to set up shows such as art galleries, breweries, music venues and book stores.
I also produced and released my own comedy special, working with Ellersy FIlms. The special is called “Useless Millennial”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I really wish there was more of a way to get people who enjoy comedy on social media to go support it in real life. It’s amazing when I see friends who have been killing it on social media and selling out shows. BUT I think just like people discover they like certain comedians from scrolling, I think it would help if people went out and took a chance on a show. No matter where you are, there is probably a comedy club, local showcase, open mic. Go support it, it’s not always going to be good, but neither is 50% of the things you scroll on scoail media

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’ve always been a huge believer of trying to jump for the step ahead of where you are. If you want to be doing a certain type of gig or performing a certain number of shows, go find a way to make it happen. I’ve always tried to be aware of the journey others have followed for success, but where I have found the most fulfillment, is having to achieved it through my own hard work.

Contact Info:

• Website: tylertellsjokes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylertellsjokess/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tylertellsjokes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tylertellsjokes
• Other: www.putonevents.com

Image Credits
photo credit: https://www.instagram.com/filmjames/