Courtney Black

I would say fearlessness. I mean, I still deal with fear on different levels at different times, but being fearless still at the same time. I was fearless in changing careers. I was fearless in starting stand-up and acting. I've been fearless in meetings and talking to people and showcasing myself and my work. That ability to push through fear and take bold steps, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain, has been the foundation of everything I've accomplished.

Be yourself. J. Anthony Brown would always say, stop writing, just talk, you're funny, just talk! So, once you learn to do that to the audience, talk with the audience, not at the audience. And don't be afraid to be yourself, even if that means you are doing something that no one else is doing. That can feel kind of weird and out of body, and maybe cancel culture, you know, but just trusting yourself. Really the basis of all this comedy stuff is faith in trusting in yourself, and hopefully a higher being. I have a higher being that I trust and ask to guide me all the time.

Go on stage, write, write, write, go on stage, write, write, write. Don't let fear or outside noise slow you down. You're gonna get a lot of advice from outside people, from your wardrobe, from what you're saying, from how you say it, and it really does slow your progress and affect you. Try to block out all the noise. You'll learn on your own by going on stage what you need to adapt. But try not to listen to other people, copy other people, and really find out who you are. Because once you find out who you are and you can show that, nobody can take that away from you, and that's how you're gonna make your money. Because you're unique.

The biggest challenge I face, and still face, is being a woman in comedy. Honestly. You know, most people say women aren't funny! Oh, they're just gonna talk about their periods, or whatever. No, there's so many funny women. And even if they aren't, it's so weird, because men make a whole show with putting male comedians on there and 3 of them won't be funny at all. They still get a spot. It's like, you know, if a woman is not funny, at least give her the time. You have to get on stage to even build your career, like, it doesn't work just writing at home. You have to try this stuff out. So they give men so many more chances than they give female comedians. Getting stage time, being a woman in comedy, is very hard. It always seems like you can only be one. When I hosted 3 different shows around the city, my first 3 minutes I would give to a new female comedian so they could practice, and throughout the show I always made it like 70-30, females to males, because I just wanted more opportunities for women to work on their craft and perfect it. As for opportunities, especially in LA, there's really opportunity everywhere. You never know where people are going to see you, or even if you're meeting someone, what they may have 6 months later and they come back. I just booked a role on a short film last week because of something they saw online. Last year I did like 3 tapings that will be on TV. You just always have to present your best self at all times and never look down on anyone, treat everybody equal.

Faith and having a strong belief is most important to me. Loyalty is very important. Honesty is very important. Hard work and diligence matter a lot. I like structure, even though I'm bad at it. I do have things that are structurally organized, so just having some kind of structure, even if it's just tailored to yourself that someone else might not understand, but a certain kind of structure. I also believe in helping out the next person, whether you're bartering services or just offering advice. I don't even need anything returned, but if you need your event to look good or you need some advice on how to do something, if I have the knowledge, I share it.