Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinn James.
Hi Quinn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I discovered comedy at a young age through watching SNL, The Sarah Silverman Program, Mel Brooks, Family Guy, and a slew of other shows most parents wouldn’t let their 7-year-old watch. In addition to my early discovery of comedy, I also discovered theatre, and these 2 things would become my lifelines and life guides throughout any challenges I faced.
Two years ago, when I dropped out of school, I realized how much I loved making people laugh, and how much I missed being on a stage, so I started writing and taking classes at Second City. In 2022, I began going to open mics, submitting to bar shows, and figuring out who I was as a performer and person.
While I’m still sure about figuring myself out, it is so fun to be figuring myself out in front of strangers! All I know for now is: My goal on stage is to make sure everyone is having fun, being happy, and laughing!!!!!!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of the hardest things for me right now would be time! Time to work on my act, my job, and myself. A career in comedy takes full-time job hours and doesn’t pay too much. So I have two-day jobs to provide an income. Working 2 jobs, while also trying to write and go to mics and shows, it becomes really easy to burn out, so now Im working on work/life balance and that is the hardest part!
In addition to time, it can be difficult to write sometimes. Writer’s block is so crazy, it makes no sense, you know you have ideas but don’t know how to put words to them that can go on paper, let alone be confident it’s funny! But my best friend and partner both have an amazing sense of humor so I rely on them a lot to help me get out of a funk.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Both my day jobs are in the Illinois cannabis industry. I currently am the marketing assistant at Green Rose Dispensary in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, in addition to being a brand rep for Contract Canna. Both these cannabis companies are social equity license holders in the state of Illinois, and Green Rose was the first social equity dispensary opened in Illinois in November 2022 and I got to be on their opening budtender team!
So far, at Green Rose, what I’m most excited by and happy with, has been my work on social media to destigmatize cannabis and get high. Most social media platforms still flag, block content, or remove profiles for having cannabis-related content, so it has been an amazing challenge marketing something that 1) we can’t market directly and 2) most people have assumptions already made.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
Having fun and laughter!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinnjamescomedy/
Image Credits
Stone Watters and Quinn James
