Today we’d like to introduce you to J.R. Youngblut.
Hi J.R., so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
After a thrilling but ultimately professionally inconsequential youth in bucolic South Minneapolis, I decided to become a multi-hyphenate. I got a cheap flight to New York City for September 11th, 2019 and promised myself I’d never forget my first day in the Big Apple. I’d already begun my education while I was in college in DC but now I had a chance to learn from the comedy sages of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. I performed stand up, improv, and sketch across New York and though the pandemic put a pause on my stage time, I pivoted and joined the great Front-Facing Vertical Video rush, finding comradery amid the virality. In the years since, I have continued to write and perform on various live comedy shows, improv festivals, webseries, musicals, and variety acts. This year, in partnership with several co-conspirators, I have launched a live sketch comedy show called “New Day! New York!” at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. The show features live character performances, as well as prerecorded comedy sketches from some of the most hilarious young comedians working today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My media training forbids me from being too much of a bummer but yes, it has been hard to juggle day jobs/night jobs, staying mentally healthy, and the cascading collapse of the entertainment industry. For a guy with ADD, it’s just so hard to know where to focus your efforts!
I went stretches without making anything because of anxiety around my output and career trajectory. Thankfully, I’ve learned you have to develop a level of delusional self-assurance in your own success. It’s really helped me ignore the imposter syndrome so I can enjoy the making of the thing and only get a little in my head about everything else. As long as my work helps one person laugh and forget their own anxieties for a minute, I think done a good job.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a writer first and foremost, specializing in digital sketch comedy and TV writing. As part of that I also perform in, direct, and edit all of the sketches I produce. Early on, much of my work was making TikToks and Reels. My most well-known sketch was likely Worm Girlfriend, which has been recreated in other languages continues to inspire parodies today. Since then, my work has expanded as I aim to create comedy that is high effort in addition to high in laughs. So much today is made quickly for algorithmic success. I want my comedy to be worth your time and stick around a little longer than the time it takes you to scroll past. To that end, I’ve worked begun to shoot comedic short films and high quality digital sketches. Some of the ones I’m most proud of are the Squeebos and Chicago Ghost Cops sketches. I also am known for my merging digital and live comedy such as in my show New Day! New York! which features hybrid live and taped sketch performances.
Any big plans?
I’m regularly on shows at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective and have two more New Day! New York! shows debuting in October and December. I’ve got several larger projects in the works, but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out about them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/j.r.youngblut
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jryoungblut/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRYoungblut
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jryoungblut
