Meet Eddie Pence

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie Pence.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Northern Virginia in a town called Chantilly, which is basically a suburb of Washington, D.C. After graduating from Virginia Tech, I was accepted into the M.F.A. program for Film Production at Chapman University in Orange County, CA. While in film school I decided to give a lifelong dream of stand-up comedy a try. My first time up was a five minute set at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. At the time it seemed like it went great, but looking back I’m almost positive it was awful since it mostly consisted of fairly lame masturbation and toilet paper jokes. Hahahaha. However, I was hooked. I finished up film school but ended up pursuing stand-up comedy. I would perform anywhere I could for the next few years, doing stand-up, Improv and sketch comedy. Basically, if I could get on a stage, I would. My first major accomplishment, I guess, was having the honor of being selected as a “New Face” at the 2004 Montreal Comedy Festival.

After that, I was fortunate enough to make several TV appearances on Comedy Central, The Late Late Show and a few others. Currently, I can be heard daily on “The Ralph Report w Ralph Garman” on Patreon.com. It’s a daily podcast created by and featuring LA radio legend Ralph Garman. I also have another podcast I co-host with fellow comedian Jerry Rocha called “The Ramble”. I recently was able to shoot my first one-hour comedy (un)special back in my hometown of Washington, D.C. What made it even more special was it was completely crowdfunded by my fans, who have taken to calling themselves “Eddiots” (which is amazing). The reason it means so much to me that it was crowdsourced is the fact that I didn’t have to have a company or network give me a special. I was able to make the special I wanted to make solely through the support of people who are genuinely my fans. That’s the greatest thing ever and honestly, makes this entire 20-year journey worth it. I honestly could do it my way. I guess the one thing spending 20 years trying to make it in this industry has taught me is don’t quit, you never know where you’ll end up. A lot of the success people achieve in this business isn’t based on talent alone. It’s persistence, it’s showing up, it’s creating for yourself, and most importantly it’s relationships. Nearly every job I’ve gotten has been through a relationship, one way or the other. Making friends and working with people you really enjoy working with is the best path for success, or at least the only way I’d want to do it.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s still not. Being an artist means dealing with constant rejection. Every “Yes” is usually followed by several “No’s”. Like I said before, persistence and relationships are so important in trying to follow your dream. Personally, I’ve dealt with depression since I was a teenager and sometimes mixing that with the constant flow of rejection in this line of work can be hard. So, I’ve always been a huge advocate for mental health. We all can feel isolated sometimes and we feel like no one understands what’s happening in our heads, but that’s not true. We all go through rough spells and some of us have a brain chemistry that is a little different than others that makes coping more difficult. I’ve gotten help in the past and I’m in a much better place today because of it.

If anyone out there thinks they need help, then get it, whether it’s therapy, medication, whatever. Don’t wait. Life can better, but be patient; it takes time. And if you know someone who you think is hurting, don’t be afraid to reach out. Sometimes when someones hurting they can’t make that step, so check in with those around you if you think something might be off. I’ve lost friends to suicide, the comedy community as a whole has lost so many. We all need to be there for each other. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the love and support of my wife Tracey and my amazing son Colton who are my biggest supporters outside of my Mom and Dad. I’ve been so lucky to have a great family that’s stuck by me through everything.

What else should our readers know?
I’ve been a comedian and actor in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years… oh and I guess I’m a podcaster now too. That’s a thing.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been somewhat shy and introverted. I’ve always loved making people laugh. It was my way to get past the shyness I guess. If I could make you laugh, that would make it easy for me to be myself. People who know me know I love Star Wars, comic books, and The Washington Redskins and the order depends on the time of year. I guess if you want to know more about me, watch my comedy (I think Chaplin said that).

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eddiepence.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @eddiepence
• Facebook: @eddiepence
• Twitter: @eddiepence

Image Credit:
Sara Hoots (@hoots.shoots)

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.