Meet Jacob Givens | Content Creator, Comedian and Musician

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

Hi Jacob, what do you attribute your success to?
Discovering how to be myself again. In my two decades of pursuing everything from acting to screenwriting to stand-up comedy, I just wanted to be seen and validated by the world that what I was making and creating was good. That I could be validated. But things began to shift in my life the moment I let go of that notion. The moment I decided to create things because I had to, not because I would get something for it in return. Turns out that the most genuine version of myself is when I’m sharing things that I love with others… especially music! When I made that first video on TikTok about hearing Nirvana for the first time, I didn’t think anyone would see it other than the 23 friends that were following me at the time. The fact that it resonated with so many people took me by surprise at first. But to this day, I feel like my authentic self with every piece of content I put out into the world and that feels amazing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In some beautifully strange way, the art I’m making today is the perfect hybrid of everything I’ve focused on in my life up until this point. My video content relies heavily on my passion for music, my expressive rubber face from acting, and knowing how to write a comedic bit in short form. These are all skills that I spent years developing and learning to perfect as I wrote and filmed web series and performed stand-up around L.A. One of the consistent comments I get on my work is that it’s so “wholesome,” and that always makes me smile because I believe people are genuinely surprised to see someone love things as deeply as I do… but I truly do! I am so grateful to have a platform to share and create art with a supportive community. But the journey has been long and the highs have been matched by the lows. My existence feels like a bundle exposed nerve endings, so I’ve learned to tune out those negative frequencies to the best of my ability. Cynicism lurks in every corner of the internet, and sometimes it even comes from your friends. I’ve had to learn how to put up boundaries to protect my heart from those who ask me to be someone other than myself.

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?
I love the great outdoors, especially the mountains, so one of the first things I love to do when friends visit me is drive up Angeles Crest to look at the spectacular view of everything from Mt. Wilson. It seems like most outsiders think of L.A. as congested traffic, celebrities, and beaches (which it is), but there is also so much beauty in nature here that I love to share. So many great trails up that way, and even some beautiful waterfalls after the rains that are worth the hike. As for food, I’m a sushi lover, and we have fantastic sushi here but I know that isn’t always for everyone. So I’d probably opt for some classic Mexican food. I’ve lived in the Valley most of my time out here, so I’d choose Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks for starters for the atmosphere. Then, I love taking people for an old-fashioned at Cole’s French Dip downtown, and then stop by to see the crazy cool oddities and drinks at Clifton’s Republic around the corner. If we’re doing beaches, I love Redondo beach because it has that perfect balance of clean beaches and local restaurants and shops and it’s not as crowded as some of the others. And of course I’d have to take them to see some live music, so that would depend on what was playing that week since we have so many cool music venues here: The Regent, The Wiltern, The Belasco, 1720, The Teragram Ballroom, etc. And finally this is going to sound random, but we converted our home garage space into a medieval style tavern we call ‘The Fox & Owl,” so we usually spend a lot of time entertaining guests in that space.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I feel incredibly fortunate to have parents that always supported and believed in my creative pursuits. When I told them I was driving across the country to Los Angeles to try and make it as an actor, they cheered me on! I’ve worked many jobs to keep myself and my family afloat over the years, but my mom and dad have never once tried to talk me out of chasing my dreams. Most importantly I have to thank Jamie, my incredible wife and partner who has been in my corner for twenty-two years. We’ve been there for each other through all the peaks and valleys of our lives and she continues to be my lighthouse in every storm, as I try to be the same for her.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobgivens/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacobgivens/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejacobgivens

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/JacobGivens/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejacobgivens

Image Credits
Joshua Sterling Bragg, Josh De La Victoria, Ekatarina Gorbicheva