Meet Jenny Run

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

Hi Jenny, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
To this day, I still think workaholics are sexy. I enjoy being a workaholic. Actually I work hard and play hard. Sometimes working feels like playing for me. I enjoy making continuous progress. I love learning new things to keep my synapses alive and busy. Life wise I prioritize my sleep, nutrition, and personal hygiene, while trying to build up an exercise routine. The rest of the time I want to spend it all on work. Work is fun, better than sex.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I moved from the midwest to the west coast this year with the plan of continuing my engineering career. At a tech event in San Francisco, I met a bunch of new friends and we were talking about AI and our engineering paths. I told some silly jokes and multiple people told me I should try doing stand-up comedies. My Instagram “overheard” the conversations and started showing me stand-up comedy shows nearby. I went to a few shows and noticed some comedians went up to the stage with their notes. I didn’t know whether I could actually entertain a crowd, but I had confidence in “bullshitting” for a few minutes without looking at notes. As an Asian student, quick thinking and memorization were skills I honed early, which came in handy on stage.

So I tried doing open mic for the first time in my life at a bar in San Francisco, and a lady threw her head back at my jokes. I was encouraged by that. I felt I need to move somewhere to test the deeper water. San Francisco was too cold and foggy for me, and LA’s sunny energy felt like the perfect place to dive into comedy. Half a month later, I moved to Hollywood to pursue my comedy career at full speed.

So far everything has been easy for me. I truly enjoy writing and telling jokes. Every time I review my performance videos, I get pumped by all the laughs from the crowd. Everything has been a positive feedback loop to me. The biggest challenge for me was the traffic while commuting to comedy venues, but that can also be my buffer time to think and practice jokes by myself.

I have learned that being authentic makes me feel the best. Sometimes I wrote jokes right before the performance and had no issue telling them, because most of my content and “acting” were real, on the stage it was just the real Jenny Run with some makeup and a microphone.

I am a funny Asian girl telling dark jokes in Hollywood. I enjoy what I am doing and I want to make everybody’s life easier!`

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?
To be honest, since I moved to LA, I spent most of the time writing and telling jokes. Since I am a big nerd, I do have Google lists built up for LA_bars, LA_restaurants, LA_food trucks, LA_Asian food, LA_speakeasy, LA_nightclubs…but if my friends were following my schedule, we will probably be commuting among the Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv, and Third Wheel Comedy all the time…Again, I am a workaholic.

I did pick up some Californian habit – hiking (midwest was too flat). My go-to spot will be the Runyon Canyon, close to Hollywood, not very challenging but a lot of doggos.

Laundromat can be an interesting spot too. One time I had to do my laundry at a laundromat in Hollywood, there were three engineers in a roll and we had a fun conversation. It’s a fun way to meet new people and experience the LA living.

There is a temple on the east side of LA called Hsi Lai Temple, I have not seen such a splendid temple anywhere else in the US. I felt peaceful when visiting.

I have been to one strip club here in LA called Jumbo’s Clown Room, I like the various styles of the dancers there. I look forward to explore The Abbey Food & Bar sometime.

Since I am a nerd, sometimes I go to chess night. There are multiple chess clubs in town and it’s always a lovely social scene.

I am a fan of both speakeasy and nightclubs. My favorite drinking spots in LA are probably Death & Co and Peking Tavern (karaoke nights). My favorite dancing spot in town is No Vacancy.

For brunch, I love the light, nutritious options at Republique Cafe. For an iconic LA experience, I’d take my friend to Pink’s Hot Dogs or one of the amazing taco trucks. San Gabriel and Rowland Heights have some incredible Asian food trucks worth visiting.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out to all the lovely people that treated me nicely here in LA. I look up to all the comedians I met here, and appreciate all the crew members at the Comedy Store, Hollywood Improv, Third Wheel Comedy…I moved to LA by myself and within 5 months my first comedy special was shot. I felt extremely lucky and grateful. Special thanks to the BanditJones studio and all the amazing people there that helped with my comedy special.

Shout out to Hollywood, shout out to LA!

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiani-ruan/