Meet Jake Dean Taylor: Actor, Writer, Comedian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jake Dean Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jake Dean, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Growing up, my family moved around a ton. We jumped from small town to small town, all across the country. I was raised in a very conservative household, where things like being queer weren’t tolerated. As an LGBTQ youth who moved around, I’m sure you can see how difficult it was to fit in. I was bullied for being the new kid. I was bullied for being different, and I couldn’t find solace with my family, because my family didn’t know. It was only after I moved out and halfway across the country, that I was able to finally be myself.

For the longest time, I resented my parents for not being supportive. I resented them for not shielding me from the torment in each new, small town. It took many years of self reflection for me to come into my own and accept my queerness as my superpower. I realized that the bullying, hiding, and shame was shaping me into the strong, confident, and powerful person I am today. I confidently lead with love, am unashamed of my vulnerability, and unapologetically show up for the queer community. Without those hardships of my past, I’m not sure I would fully appreciate the strength it takes to show up. My background and upbringing impacted how much I love being an LGBTQ person. It also fuels my writing because I only write screenplays, shorts, and sketches that are queer created and queer focused.

We all have stories to be told and I want to be someone who does just 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.
Firstly, I’m a queer writer, actor, and comedian. I think something that sets me apart is that I exclusively write queer stories. There just isn’t enough mainstream content out there that tells honest, functional stories about our community. I want to be a part of that very much! Something I’m incredibly excited about is a pilot that I wrote last year. I sank my heart, soul, and keystrokes into this project and am so proud of the evolutions it has undertaken. I recently submitted it to Sundance Labs, a very prestigious writing program, and am in the final round of selections! So here’s to hoping it graces your television screens.

I got to where I am today because of the people I’ve surrounded myself with. Namely, my very good friend, Bill. I consider him my writing mentor because he’s helped to hone my voice and punch up my writing. I owe so much of my gusto to him. I’d like to say that it was easy, but getting myself out of the funk I was in proved truly difficult. It took so much honesty, self-awareness and work to stand back up and really go for it. One thing I practiced, almost daily, was looking in the mirror and spewing affirmations at myself. It really helped to give me the spirit I needed to feel worthy. Also, I just wrote and wrote. Even if it was incomplete, I got it on paper. If anything, it helped to organize what was happening in my busy brain.

An important lesson I’ve learned is to show up for yourself, every single day. It’s difficult at first, but it will serve you so well in the long run. Another lesson was to make mistakes. I used to be PETRIFIED of “doing it wrong”. The beautiful thing is – there is no wrong. Realizing that freedom gave me permission to open up and be vulnerable.

I want the world to know that I’m here, I’m queer, and I got a whole lotta stories to tell. We’ve been patiently waiting for the world to catch up and let us tell our stories; the time is now.

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?
Let’s see…

We’d do a morning hike at Kenneth Hahn State Park. The views are incredible and it will make you sweat. We would absolutely have to hang by my pool and catch up. I’d take them to the Weho scene to watch Drag Race, then dance the night away. We’d get brunch at City Tavern, in Culver City – they have amazing waffles and bottomless mimosas, if you’re into that.

We’d hit Will Rogers Beach because they’d most likely be a queer friend and would love an LGBTQ beach moment. I’d take them to this amazing place called The Window at American Beauty, in Venice – they have incredible fried chicken sandwiches. We’d do a night drive past Downtown, on the 10. It has the best view of Downtown, in my opinion. Getting Korean BBQ would be total must. There’s this awesome place in Koreatown called Bulgogi Hut, and it is mouthwatering good.

Finally, we’d have to catch the sunset at the Santa Monica Pier because it’s really pretty. When friends visit, we like to look up activities neither of us have done, then experience them together! It’s super fun and a great way to explore. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my best group of friends, Plaid Party. When I first moved to Florida from the Midwest, I was a little gaybee and all alone. Through the power of a kind universe, I was able to meet eight friends who would help shape the rest of my formative years. These people taught me how to be kind to myself, accept my weirdness, and hold myself accountable in all ways. This was the first group of LGBTQ people I had ever been a part of, and we all grew up together trying to discover our voices within the community. I consider them family and I owe so much to them. To Vladimir, Janette, Cass, Sam, Danny, Noris, Chelsea, and Andrea – thank you so much for being the brothers and sisters I needed.

I also want to give a shoutout to Bill DiPiero. He’s a wonderful ally and incredibly talented writer. When I was at a low with my writing and acting, he offered an opportunity that lifted me to a place I needed to be. He’s still my writing confidant and I owe my spark to him.

Finally, I want to give one last shoutout to Vladimir, my amazing partner. All those years ago, we decided we wanted to make our relationship work. In all 11 years, we’ve been through everything. I owe my humanity to this man and I can’t wait to give back tenfold.

Thank you all.

Instagram: @jakedeantaylor

Twitter: @jakedeantaylor

Image Credits
Bernard Mesa Photography Sergio P. Headshots