Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacquis Neal.
Jacquis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Absolutely. I was born in Chicago, IL to a single mom who was 16 yrs. old when she had me. By every metric of the stories we are told about people in the situation I was born in, I should have been a statistic. But my family and my mom made sure I defied all those odds and really gave me a great life and path to follow any dream I had. They were champions of mine every step of the way. Let me make mistakes, pushed me to be the best I could be, and allowed me to not be during the times I wasn’t. Especially my mom. She really is the greatest person, and I attribute who I am to the work she did as a single parent, along with my family. I was aspiring to be a rapper as a teen and was signed to an indie record label, but I was arrested at 16 for possession of weed. I was let go because it was such a small amount, and I was a minor. But in the time after that, I decided I wanted to make some changes on my path. I also loved entertaining people. So, I joined a theatre arts class in my high school junior year and auditioned for my first play later that year, and as they say, the rest is history. From there, I decided I wanted to be an actor. I went to Columbia College Chicago and graduated in 2008, the first in my immediate family to do so. I was a professional theater actor in Chicago for a few years, booking on-camera work here and there. And in 2012 I decided to make the move to LA. During the first 2.5 years, I struggled to find my footing. I was doing a web series, was auditioning, and booked things here and there. But I was really missing having a community around me, which Chicago was known for. I also missed the stage, and although I wasn’t quite ready to jump back into theatre, I knew I needed to do something. I can’t remember why, but I decided I would take improv class. I had done improv very little in college, and showed potential, and always thought it was so fun, and had the chance to do things at Second City. But I never really pursued it because I was focused on stage plays. But I thought it would be fun and probably help me meet new people, something I sorely wanted. I decided to do UCB, and that would put me on the path I am today. From that decision, I have enjoyed much success. From having podcasts on iHeartRadio and Earwolf/SiriusXM to many roles on television, becoming a veteran and regarded as a top improviser in LA, becoming one of the best producers of live comedy shows in LA, commercials, hosting, and voiceover, it has given me a lot. Heck, I wanted to become an entertainer because I use to watch Nickelodeon growing up, and ff to today I was the promo voice for Nickelodeon for almost 2 years at a certain point. All the way to me being on Celebrity Family Feud. So today, like many entertainers, I am multi-faceted and grateful. But my story I feel is unique in that if someone would have heard when my mom said she was pregnant at 16 and would be a single mom no less, I think very few people would have predicted what would’ve have become. But my mom told me when I was younger to “do what you do, and do what you do best,” and those are words I’ve lived by my entire life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Many struggles. I’m in a business where you hear no 11 times out of 10. Where you also can’t get too low on your failures or too high on your success. There’s this myth that once you break through the glass ceiling, you’ve made it. But this industry, and really life, isn’t a one-story house. It’s a high-rise apartment building. Once you break through one ceiling, you’re just on another floor with its own set of challenges and ceiling for you to break through. I’ve been passed up for many things, looked over, not recognized, underappreciated, and undervalued many times. One of my biggest obstacles was in 2018 getting cut from Harold Night at UCB. Harold Night was like the goal every improviser had. And every season, you either continue or get cut. I was cut, and it was a big shock to not only myself but to a lot of folks in the community. I was told to my face that I was one of the best performers that theater had, but I didn’t play scenes in the way they liked to teach it, but that they knew I would land on my feet and wasn’t hurting for stage time. But that failure shook my confidence and jaded me in the process. However, from that moment, my career took off. Not on in acting but in comedy. Even now, I am one of a few select improvisers that gets asked to do Asssscat at UCB, which is the theater’s premiere show. It’s the show that only the top performers in LA get asked to do. So, obstacles are common, they vary in how they hit you, but what matters is how you let it make you move afterwards. The struggles pave the way for smoother roads, and you’ll hit many potholes in this business and even come up to undriveable roads. But there’s always a way to get to your destination, and I wouldn’t change anything.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I consider myself an actor first and foremost. I also am a professional comedian, host, and producer. I’ve done live theatre, live comedy (improv and sketch), commercials, feature films, television, on-camera and voiceover, and writing. I’ve also had success in the podcasting world and an award-nominated host. And I have produced and hosted many live shows for sold-out crowds across the country and am about to do so with the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival here in LA in May 2024. I specialize in whatever you put in front of me. I don’t think it’s for my to decide what sets me apart. I know a lot of hard-working, talented people. I just try to do what I do and do what I do best. I’m not unique in that, but I’m grateful that others have recognized. I’m so proud of so many things. Most recently, I’m proud that people are asking me to do things based on recommendations and the quality of my past work. Like when I was on Grand Crew on NBC, I didn’t have to audition for that role and parts of it were written for me. That is a blessing. I have other things coming to that I can’t quite talk about, that fall in that category. I’m also honored that so many people in the comedy world know who I am. I don’t try to grow my social media following like I should, but all your favorite comedians know me or have met me, and that’s enough for me.
Any big plans?
I know this is going to seem simple and almost like a throwaway. But to keep working. As long as I’m working doing what I love, I’ll be happy. Keep working and keep making enough to support myself, my family, the people I care about, and they people I want to see succeed around and with me. And travel.
Contact Info:
- Website: jacquisneal.com
- Instagram: @jacquisneal
- Twitter: @jacquisneal
Image Credits
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Gregory Wallace Photography
Jill Petracek
American Broadcasting Companies, Inc
Andrew Levy
AppleTV
