The 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture Film Festival brought together Black creators from in front of and behind the screen to showcase their work and discuss the creative process. On Friday July 1, ESSENCE Senior Entertainment Editor Brande Victorian kicked the festival off by hosting a conversation with a few of the Black women making big waves in television comedy.

For more of every little thing you missed on the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, visit our official video content hub HERE.

Sam Jay (creator and star of PAUSE with Sam Jay and Bust Down), Kim Fields (star, The Upshaws), Zainab Johnson (standup comedienne, star of Upload), and Cocoa Brown (standup comedienne, star of 911), weighed in on the state of Black women in comedy and their individual journeys to the highest of the sport.

Speaking about their beginnings within the comedy lane, each Johnson and Jay said pushing past their complacency into something latest showed them their purpose as skilled funny ladies.

“I personally consider that I could be good at most things, because I can learn lots,” Johnson said, admitting that she was unsure of her path for quite a while. “And I used to be good at lots of stuff. But the primary time I did arise, it felt different. It was like ‘oh…that is THE THING.’ So I kept going.”

“I used to be at form of a crossroads in life, and felt that I wasn’t living to my full potential. I used to be attempting to work out how I used to be going to interrupt out of the rut I used to be in,” Jay said of her journey into standup and comedy writing. “I all the time desired to do it, but I used to be form of afraid of it. But I used to be in a spot of ‘you’ve got to face your fears head-on,’ and the thing you’re afraid of might be the thing you must walk toward. So I made the choice to back the fear down and see where it could take me.”

A veteran within the industry, Brown noted that things have modified within the industry so rapidly that nobody truly has to “start at the underside” anymore.

“The recommendation that I might have given a young comic ten years ago now not applies,” she said. “I might tell any comic without delay, yes, get on stage, yes, learn the craft, yes, learn your voice, but within the meantime, construct your social media presence, because they don’t care how funny you’re unless you’ve got the fitting amount of commas after that number. And that’s real talk. I’ve seen those that just popped up yesterday skip over those that have been on this game for 25 years and get a complete show.”

But Jay, who never felt social media was her tool of selection, highlighted that while Instagram may get you far, there are other routes to comedic success. But you will have to be more assertive when taking them.

“I form of went the festival route, I went the more alt-comedy route, and that allowed me to are available in on one other side of it, because I used to be occupied with creating and developing.”

“I do think lots of these places though, especially once you’re Black, they put lots of pressure in your social media numbers,” Jay continued. “But they’re not doing that to those white boys. They’re not doing that to those white girls. They’re not allotting it in the identical way or making space so that you can develop your lane and your craft. So you have got to be demanding in that way, and never allow them to bend you to that formula.”

Each of the women noted the importance of tapping into allyship with fellow comedians, and likewise staying the course. Fields, having been within the industry for the reason that age of seven, had clever words to impart on weathering the ups and downs of the industry.

“I’ve never had that moment, even after I’ve felt betrayed, heartbroken, disillusioned by my industry, where I’ve felt that I desired to quit it,” she admitted. “Even after I’ve needed to pause, possibly take a deep breath and restrategize. Redirect. Water any person else’s garden while I’m waiting on my thing to pop off. But, my Mama did say to all the time have a backup plan. That’s why I began directing, writing, producing. There’s all styles of other tentacles to our business.”

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For more of every little thing you missed on the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, visit our official video content hub HERE.