Making it in the entertainment industry can be difficult (that’s an understatement). So I talked
with Jason Salmon about his background in comedy and the wisdom he has on what it takes to
make it. Salmon also discusses his recent comedy album, “Force of Nurture” and the
commercial work he’s participated in along the way.
What drove you to pursue a career in comedy?
I always liked making people laugh and so when I started acting I noticed that, even when the
role was dramatic, I would try to mine every ounce of comedy. So naturally, when I got the
chance to join a sketch comedy troupe, I did. I started writing sketches and scripts and then I
started doing improv comedy. Eventually, I walked past a Standup Comedy club and thought I
should give that a shot. I figured the only way to really explore who I was as a performer, was to
try everything. Standup was the last thing and it’s the one that stuck.
I understand you’ve had a lot of experience in commercial work. Tell me about it.
Yeah, I’ve been pretty lucky. I hit it off with the woman who played my girlfriend in one of the
first short films I ever worked on. And because we got along so well (and probably because I
made her laugh) said she wanted to introduce me to her agent. So that started the process and
within a year, the agent was sending me out, and within two years I had booked my first job –
playing a clean-cut college kid in a Budweiser commercial that shot in Prague. It was pretty cool
and I figured I had it made. Fast forward 3 years later and I hadn’t booked another significant
job. The calls were getting so infrequent that I even stopped shaving for a while. By that time I
was doing standup and a few months later (my facial hair had been trimmed to just a mustache
for a sketch I was shooting) I finally got a call for an audition. I told my agent I was sporting a
stache and she sort of groaned. I asked if was gonna be a problem and she said no – the groan
was because it seemed like a terrible personal choice. Long story short, the stache did work. I
started booking some big jobs, this time as a sort of everyman/blue collar character. Since then
I’ve managed to make a decent living in the commercial business
Do you find there to be any overlap in the skills required to create comedy and the skills
required to sell a product?
In either case, you’re selling a product. In standup, the product is you. You’re selling yourself
onstage to every audience. You’re selling yourself to bookers and producers and agents and
managers. So all of that translates very well. The only issue is that when the product you are
selling is yourself, it can feel really narcissistic to constantly be touting your value and
achievements. In real life, that is not a quality I find appealing in others. But in the entertainment
industry, you have to just view it as salesmanship.
Do you use any of the skills learned through performing comedy in everyday life?
Weirdly, they’ve come in very handy in recent years. My dad has late-stage Alzheimers and is
slowly losing his memory and function, which is always difficult. But because I am so hardwired
from improv to “Yes, And…” any suggestion, it has made me open to perceiving the world
through his eyes even though sometimes it makes no real-world sense or lacks significant
detail. And I’ve found that the way he perceives the world is actually pretty cool, even though he
doesn’t always recount it well verbally. And because I am so hardwired in standup to explore the
world, and look for the joke even when I don’t know what I’m gonna find, I feel like I can relate to
him exploring the unfamiliar world where he lives. It’s opened me up to following his lead when
otherwise I might have tried to wrest control, and it has really allowed me a sort of closeness to
my dad that would have been difficult otherwise. I don’t think I could have done any of that
without having spent so much time mining comedy from the darkest places.
What was the worst commercial you’ve worked on? Why?
Again, I’ve actually been pretty lucky and have mostly done really cool and/or fun commercials,
but early on I did a job for a dial-up internet company and I was so sick while filming. I would go
and lay on the couch between takes and had the makeup person on hand to touch me up and
supply tissue for me to blow my nose. Thinking back, it was probably her worst commercial
experience too.
What influenced you to create your latest comedy album, Force of Nature?
It’s actually called, “Force of NURture” (I do love a good pun) and it’s mostly biographical and
observational stuff. I think the coolest thing comedy gives you is the ability to laugh at yourself
and the next coolest thing is the ability to dissect and interpret the ridiculousness of the world
around you. This album is an accounting of that.
How would you describe a typical workday?
I tend to write better in the middle of the day so I try to structure the day around that. I purpose
to post some social media in the morning, and then anything after that is organic. I try to work
out every day, but that sometimes happens early and sometimes late depending on auditions
which tend to happen mid to late afternoon. And then at night, it’s stand-up.
If you had to “sell yourself” in three words, what would they be?
Thoughtful. Whimsical. Likable.
Was there anything that surprised you about pursuing a career in comedy?
How subjective it all is. I always viewed laughter as the greatest arbiter in the meritocracy of
comedy, but people laugh at a lot of stuff and different people laugh at different things. It can be
confusing when you’re trying to find your voice. An audience or booker or producer or Club
owner’s response to your work is neither absolute validation or absolute condemnation of your
comedy. They are just morsels of feedback. Take them in and process them, but never judge
yourself based on one victory or one rejection.
What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career in comedy?
If you aren’t doing it because you love it, stop. Find a better way to make money and be happy.
If, like me, you do it because you’d rather fail at it than succeed at anything else…thoughts and
prayers.
Thoughts and prayers indeed! You can catch comedians like Jason Salmon every night at Stand Up NY.