Meet Ashley Lindsay | Comedian & Writer

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

Hi Ashley, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
While I am definitely open to a wide variety of possibilities of where my comedy career could take me, it has been a lifelong dream of mine to write and/or perform for a show like SNL. Every year I was in school (from first grade to my senior year of high school), some friends and I would get together to write our own original skits and perform them in the talent show; so from a very early age, I knew I loved being a goofball on stage. This particular dream of being on SNL definitely isn’t as set in stone as it was when I was a kid–now I pretty much just dream of being able to fully support myself on writing and performing comedy alone without any side gigs. But, watching the show as a kid and being inspired to try it for myself has absolutely informed the comedian and artist that I am today, and I’ll forever be grateful for that!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When creating my art, authenticity is everything. There have been periods in my life where I’ve felt embarrassed and even ashamed of the parts of me that are in direct opposition with the status quo. But comedy has given me the opportunity to embrace and feel celebrated in my awkward, gay, nerdy, quirky, imperfect self.

In regards to how I got here, none of my growth (in both my career and my own personal development) would have been possible without my experience on Orange Coast College’s Speech and Debate Team. While obviously not everything I worked on was comedic, their team of dedicated coaches and community of other like-minded students worked together to sharpen my writing and public speaking skills, while also emphasizing the importance of always punching up and speaking up for humanity’s most vulnerable. There was one speech category called Speech to Entertain that was specifically for silly folks such as myself. The goal was to take a serious topic and present it persuasively with jokes sprinkled in to make it fun: you can think of it like standup with a purpose. In 2021, I became the national champion in the Speech to Entertain category; and still to this day I consider it my greatest accomplishment.

What I want the world to know about my brand and story is that being yourself, being cringe, being embarrassing is a GOOD THING! In a society that is increasingly becoming more and more fascist, I would even go so far as to say that being your unique self is radical. My desire to be as true to me as possible in my comedy and my care for marginalized communities are inseparably intertwined.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For anyone looking for fun, you’ve come to the right city. [Randy Newman voice] I LOVE LA!! Even though I’m an Eastside girlie at heart, a night out on Santa Monica Boulevard in WeHo is gonna do it for me every time. I especially love Revolver since they have the sweetest dancers and always play throwback classics that are so fun to dance and sing along to. But! Make sure you pregame because their drinks are a million dollars and taste like poison.

For a day in Hollywood proper, I would start off with a relaxing picnic at Barnsdall Art Park: you can always find tons of interesting characters to people watch and it sits on a hill with a breathtaking view of Hollywood. The park also is connected to the Hollyhock House which is an over 100 year old piece of architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright–major slay. For the middle of the day, I would recommend heading up to the Beachwood Cafe for lunch. It’s an adorable little spot up in the Beachwood Canyon neighborhood and despite its fame and recognition (it’s mentioned in Harry Styles’ song “Falling”) is actually super reasonably priced. At night, go see a UCB show! They have 2-3 shows every single night featuring the best emerging independent faces in comedy. You can even stop by the restaurant/bar, Birds, just a few doors down before or after the show for a couple drinkities and some lovely grub. Their bloody mary paired with the caesar chicken wrap is my favorite!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my favorite person and partner in crime, Dylan Sherry. He is an unbelievably talented musician who has lived in LA his whole life and makes his art entirely independently. As “starving artists” trying our best out here in the big city, having someone who understands your plight can make this ongoing act of putting yourself out there a whole lot less alienating. Getting to have each other’s mutual support and encouragement while we both try to create and perform (in slightly different fonts) has led to both of our careers growing in ways we didn’t know were possible. Meeting Dylan genuinely has changed my life forever.

Website: https://linktr.ee/ashleymlindsay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleymlindsay/profilecard/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA%3D%3D

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ashleymlindsay98?si=tbc2I8ppwuQLUHsP