Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheyenne Jackson.
Hi Cheyenne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started doing comedy in August 2021 after watching the Open mic at Wiseguys in Salt Lake City. I continued to sign up and come back each week and started to attend other open mics in Salt Lake County. I later found myself going to more open mics in Utah county and eventually I got booked on my first show.
I started working very closely with a company called Happyvalley Comedy, and in January 2022, I did four shows with that production company. I continued to attend local open mics and eventually worked my way up to opening for bigger names such as Pinky Patel, Michael Longfellow, Adam Friedland, and Jared Fried, and have even had the opportunity to work with some of my personal favorites including Beth Stelling, Marlon Wayans, and Anthony Jeselnik.
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?
I wouldn’t necessarily say the road has been smooth, but there are many ups and downs. On many occasions, I found myself performing one show with a crowd of over 100 people and the very next night performing another show with a crowd of five. It’s extremely challenging sometimes and often unpredictable when it comes to crowds.
The venue can be amazing and you could still have a handful of people show up, you could be driving hundreds of miles away to the middle of nowhere in Idaho and have some of the best crowds you’ve ever seen, or you could find yourself in Payson, Utah, in the back room of a bar performing to one man named Garrett. You never know what you’re going to get at some of the shows you do.
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?
Stand-up comedy is not my only job by any means. By day, I am an accountant for a bank. I have my master’s degree in accounting, and I have been with the same company for close to 10 years now. On top of that I also run my own crochet business called snitches get stitches crochet. I started it last year and it has taken off in the last few months. I would say the thing that sets me apart is that I am always working on one of these things. Sometimes at the same time.
Often you will find me in a comedy club crocheting at the back of the room when I’m not on stage. I like to give away the things that I make to my friends at the club as well as my coworkers. I took inspiration from everywhere to create new ideas in comedy and crocheting. I feel as though, while these items are not directly related to each other, they all help support each other in some way.
Knowing my way around accounting has helped me build my own business, creating things for my friends and family has helped me improve on my crocheting, and having a sense of humor, has gotten me through some extremely stressful times at school and work.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking in the comedy world is extremely important. Making sure that you’re going to the open mics as well as spending some time with the comics before and after is really where you get to know your way around. Often you will find people who are happy to help you with your material, your stage presence, or even little things, such as recording your sets.
A mentor is not always necessary, but there are always people who are happy to help! Getting to know the people in the scene is what opens doors to more opportunities. One of my best friends, Ryan Provstgaard, is the person who put me on my very first show as well as MANY shows thereafter and it all started with us having a conversation after an open mic.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @cheyennelynnejackson
- Other: @snitches_get_stitches_crochet
Image Credits
Ryan Provstgaard Wiseguys Comedy Club
