Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Savitt.
Jon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I really started discovering my passion for comedy during my college years. I always liked to make people laugh, but it was college where I started to see a path forward in terms of a career. I would perform stand-up and sketch comedy here and there. Eventually, I got published on College Humor and was also featured in Vulture. I was studying sociology and psychology, planning to go into organizational psych. But I began to think, “Huh, I really like doing this. Is this something people do?”
In parallel, there was a writing opportunity at MTV News my senior year. Growing up in Minnesota and living in Indiana at the time, I really didn’t know the first thing about how to break into the entertainment industry. Long story short, I basically bugged the editors until they gave me a shot, and that was kind of my first consistent writing gig. From there, I wrote on the comedy series “Good Mythical Morning”, started to perform stand-up more, wrote basically every chance I got, recorded my own web series, started tweeting (unfortunately), opened up for a few more well-known comics, and just continued to learn as much as possible.
My biggest takeaway from those first few years is that you have to put your head down, work hard, be kind, and create your own opportunities. I’ve tried to carry that mindset through my entire career.
After a while, I moved to Washington D.C. for about 6 years where I continued to write, perform, and work with a lot of interesting people (and I was even able to get some tips from President Obama’s speechwriters). That’s really where the bulk of my creative career has taken place.
And now I’m here! Okay, well that was very much oversimplifying it. That was the SparkNotes version, but you get it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, driving over a pothole-filled highway would be smoother than this. It’s tough because there’s no roadmap. No formula. No “solve for x”. The entertainment industry as a whole is extremely subjective and often unfair and unforgiving — and I say that from a place of privilege.
Whether it’s finding gigs, being asked to do unpaid work, trying to market yourself, dealing with critics, or just paying rent, the challenges you face as a comic, writer — or really any creative — can sometimes be overwhelming. I always like to talk about my failures and rejections because, quite frankly, that’s part of this business.
It’s not about never failing, but about how you react when you do come up short on something.
Also, I think it’s important for newer people who are interested in comedy/writing to see more experienced people fail. Especially now with social media, it’s very easy to think everyone’s ride has been smooth — but I promise that’s not the case.
Anyway, I guess that’s today’s dose of reality. It’s not an easy path by any means, but it can be endlessly rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a comedian and comedy writer. I enjoy getting on stage and performing as much as sitting down and knocking out a TV pilot. I’ve done everything from performing stand-up in packed theaters to collaborating with NBA basketball players to writing viral comedy videos. I even just sold my first web series!
As far as my day-to-day goes, it can vary greatly — which is both the fun and challenging part. One day I’ll have a time-sensitive script to turnaround, the next I’ll focus more on stand-up, then I’ll work on a “long-form” live show, then I’ll have a media appearance. Some days I’ll forget how to write completely and feel like a total fraud and get on LinkedIn and look for marketing jobs.
As accomplishments go, I think throughout my career I’ve shifted more from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic. I mean, not going to lie, I still get excited when my work gets featured places. It’s nice to know that people are taking notice — places like Funny or Die, NBC News, TIME, Washington Post, HuffPost. But what I’m most proud of now is simply the risks I’ve taken in order to maintain my voice and stay true to myself. The stuff I haven’t hedged on. I’m on tour right now with my one-person show (“King of the Court”) about my failed basketball career. It’s weird and dramatic and combines a bit of storytelling with stand-up. I just did it because it sounded fun to me and I’m happy I went for it.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success will always be a moving target. First, it’s just getting on stage. Then it’s performing a 5-minute set. Then it’s getting on TV. Then it’s having your own show. And so on.
I’ve tried really hard to shift my focus from “distant success” to what I call “direct success”. As in, it’s always good and important to have the long road in mind, but the way you get there is by accomplishing the smaller tasks in front of you. The stuff that is within your control right now, that you have direct access to.
Dreams can feel so far away, but if you know what you need to do to get there, and you can separate it into more tactical, attainable projects, you’ll at least put yourself in a pretty good position to succeed.
Of course, I do have some specific things in mind that I want to accomplish, but I think the approach to success is really what I focus my energy on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jonsavittwrites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savitt_jon
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/savittj
Image Credits
Becca Steinman
