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

Hi Jackie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Authenticity, I am the realest, truest, version of myself when I am on stage. People can tell when you are faking the funk so I think being authentic can get you far in comedy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work in a hospital pharmacy by day and do comedy at night. It is truly the best balance for me because I take pride in, and I get joy from both of my jobs! Being a standup comedian who worked in a hospital during the pandemic really set me apart because I had a much different view of the world. I have never worked a day from home, and I think I have used Zoom 3 times. I have been doing comedy for about 6 years now and currently what I am most excited about is all the traveling I have been doing. My comedy journey hasn’t been easy but it’s been very rewarding, for me most of the challenges don’t come from comedy itself but everything happening in day to day life that impacts my ability to do comedy. In these 6 short years I’ve lost my dad, my grandma, my mom had cancer, I had vocal cord surgery and experienced a pandemic. It has been a lot and caused me to take some longer than expected breaks along the way but if anything it has taught me I can and will persevere. I feel like if I can get through those and stay the course then nothing can stop me, I literally couldn’t talk at one point…that’s a big part of comedy haha I’ve never thought about what I want the world to know about me but I would have to say I want them to know that I just want to make people laugh, I want them to forget their problems for 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes, however much time and just laugh/have fun.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite spots to eat in town are Sakura for all you can eat sushi and Casa Corazon for really good enchiladas and grilled vegetables. I recently went to Hanny’s for the first time and loved the vibe so I would definitely take an out of towner there. Obviously we would go to a show, preferably one I was on and if we were downtown I would go to Bitter & Twisted or Pigtails, if we were in North Phoenix or near High Street I would take them to the speakeasy at The Stir! Fortunately for us there are so many cool spots here!

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 can’t talk about my comedy career without mentioning my aunt, Debi Tinsley. She is the reason I got into comedy, she saw something in me I didn’t see and essentially put all of this in motion. My mom, Sandra Tinsley, has also been a key player, she helps me make some of the tough decisions! I have incredible familial and friend support; I can’t thank them enough and there are too many people to name but it all started with a gift from my aunt who thought I was just a little more funny than average. I love you Aunt Debi.

Website: jackietinsley.com

Instagram: jacktinsleitis

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAmHz45tm1MTrkN29FBJNtg

Other: TikTok: jacktinsleitis

Image Credits
Jennifer Giralo, Josh Boyle, Lisa Matthews, Sarah Larson.

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