We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Scheuerman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, how do you think about risk?
By definition, the word RISK sounds scary; a situation involving exposure to danger, harm or loss. But for me, the word risk is one I dance with everyday in my life and career. As a comedian/ actress I’m taking risks everyday, even deciding to go into this line of work was a risk in of itself, I knew that from the start and I loved it. I think if you dance with risks long enough they become your friend. Being willing to take risks, I believe is what makes people successful. To know that there’s a chance things won’t go the way you want them to, but having the will and faith to do it anyway is couragous. Everything I have done thus far in my career and life has left like one big risk, choosing to go into the entertainment industry, an industry where so few people actually make a living, HUGE RISK. Choosing to be a female comedian and risk not having a “normal life” HUGE RISK. Getting on stage every night and risk bombing in front of an audience, HUGE RISK. For me, taking risks has become a part of me. If you’re doing what you love and what you are meant to do then the risk is well worth it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me a part from others is well, me. There is only one of me and that makes me unique. As a comic, it took me a long time to accept and trust that. As comedians, we spend years trying to figure out what our “Voice” is when the truth is we’ve known what our voice is all along, we just need to learn how to trust it. I feel like the past couple years I’ve really started to have trust in myself that I am enough and I don’t have to “try to be” anything. My voice and perspective are my art and its the way i look at things that makes me special. It’s not an easy journey and everyone figures this out in their own way and time but it does take time. I think that was the biggest challenge for me, trusting myself. For some reason, I was always looking to other people for answers. I always thought everyone else knew the secret of how to find success, when the truth is, everyone else is just trying to find their own way as well. I’v made a lot of mistakes on my journey thus far but they are mistakes I needed to make in order to get where I am right now.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I grew up in LA so I’d want to give them the full tour… I’d start on the West Side at Venice, I think the life and colors you see on the boardwalk are so unique and beautiful. Then I’d stop by Abbot Kinney for coffee before heading back to my part of town, West Hollywood. A stop by the major comedy clubs, Improv, Comedy Store and Laugh Factory would be in order and are always fun to take people to, all way run into people and get to show them where I work. For dinner I would take them to my new favorite place, Fresh on Sunset… before the world shut down it was my favorite vegan restaurant!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of my biggest mentors growing up was a man named Mr. Protho, he was a drama teacher at Hale Middle School in Los Angeles. He had a love and passion for Shakespeare and he spent his life passing that love and respect onto his students. On his own time, he would meet with kids after school to teach/direct Shakespeare. I met him while I was still in elementary school, I auditioned for the play Twelfth Night, having not a clue what I was even reading or what language I was speaking, I auditioned for Mr. Protho for the role of Feste, the Fool at 9 years old. I look back now and I am blown away by that mans patience and passion. Shakespeare, thought by many to be of the most poetic words ever written, taught to kids who havent even hit puberty! This man was a gem. To me, teaching iambic pentameter to children sounds impossible, but Mr. Protho did it. The years I had working with Mr. Protho performing Shakespeare plays has left a last imprint on my life and I am forever grateful for his time and patience and for passing on the love and passion for Shakespeares beautiful works.

Website: www.Courtneyscheuerman.com
Instagram: courtneyscheuerman
Twitter: holding_court
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.scheuerman1/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk5Gsp-ILlg1pQ7DmWwWWFw?view_as=subscriber
Other: Please check out Boss Comedy, monthly comedy show at The Comedy Store and West Side Comedy Club in New York

Image Credits
Yvette Hammond- photographer Comedy Photos- Elizabeth Viggiano

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