Last week I published an article for Local Comedy Watch recapping a recent fund raising event for a new comedy entertainment talk show, Jaki's Buzz. This week's Local Comedy Watch is on lead actress, host, and producer of Jaki's Buzz, the extremely talented Jaki Valensi-Lauper.
As an entertainer myself, I am always fascinated with a fellow entertainer's background and story; I had the pleasure of chatting with Jaki for a full laugh-induced hour in order to get her version.
Jaki's story begins as a young girl, around seven years of age. As a textbook middle child she found herself lost in the mix. Many middle children stay lost in the mix throughout childhood, only to find buried feelings and emotions poking their heads out much later in life. Jaki, however, fell into the other category: desperately craving attention, she found an escape through acting out - literally.
She started performing in school plays, putting on homemade shows, and mock interviewing her mother. Luckily for this budding actress, her mother was extremely supportive, having wanted to be an actress herself. As any entertainer knows well, parental support (or lack thereof) is a crucial ingredient in pursuing a career.
Jaki's family luckily (if you believe in luck) moved to LA in her teens, where she found herself auditioning for roles. It was immediately apparent that she wasn't going to land any roles without training, and instead of being deterred from the industry, she had the good sense to seek out acting classes. In her late teens she landed some roles on a couple of soap operas, and, more importantly, an after school special, which she now recalls as her first real break in the industry.
Childhood hero Elizabeth Taylor, whom Jaki admired for her beauty and glamor, shifted in adulthood to Maryl Streep, whom Jaki now admires for her sheer versatility in roles, and for her ability to captivate an audience regardless of the movie's plot.
As much as she loves her job, Jaki admits that it's not all glitz and glamor, contrary to popular belief about entertainers. There are many Americans working day to day nine-to-five jobs who think that they'd love being their own boss, but the truth is that it takes an extraordinary diligence and commitment. Jaki was rather open and expressive that the downside of life as an actress, besides the obvious financial insecurities from time to time, is that you're constantly working. As she put it, "You're always running, always working, always promoting, and always 'on' - even on an off night."
In other words, there's never a time when you can let go of your entertainer's persona and bravado, because the right place, time, and moment may happen at any point. In the words of Livingston Taylor, "It is sad to be ready, and not be called. It is tragic to be called, and not be ready."
And to make matters worse, all that running around, promoting, and taking care of the business end of things can easily be overdone, and cut into time for the creative side of things - which is why an artist gets into the business in the first place!
Regardless, it is clear that Jaki indeed loves her job, and it shows in her work and aspirations. She has created a brand new comedy entertainment talk show, Jaki's Buzz, and works on the show as an actress, host, and producer. The idea for the show came from moving to Connecticut and discovering all of the talented individuals and artists in this small but great state.
"I realized, you don't have to go to New York, or Boston, or LA to find great talent. It's right here in this state!" she recalled.
Jaki's Buzz was a concept founded on Jaki's sheer curiosity as to why so many terrific entertainers are here in Connecticut instead of NYC, LA, or other entertainment hubs. So she decided to interview some of them to get their story, and Jaki's Buzz began to evolve. As other local entertainers heard about her fascinating new show, she began to receive requests from not just strict entertainers but all kinds of talented locals to be featured on the show, and indeed now receives more requests than she can accept!
Jaki's current driving ambition is to use Jaki's Buzz to prove to the entertainment industry that a successful, enjoyable entertainment show can be home grown right here in Connecticut. She admits that this is also one of the problems, as she is in a constant battle to fight the stereotype both in and out of this state that quality entertainment simply isn't found in Connecticut.
Still, the show is attracting a solid viewership and receiving quite a bit of positive buzz (yeah, I had to).
I can only hope that Jaki and her new show are successful in bringing Connecticut to the attention of the major entertainment industry, to showcase our entertainers and our talented individuals, and to prove that one need not journey to Hollywood or the Big Apple for a quality show.
Jaki was a doll and an absolute blast to talk to, and you would do yourself a huge favor by checking out her show. Head over to www.JakisBuzz.com to get all the information you need, and be sure to pass it around to friends and family. Let's help build the viewership and get some serious steam behind her project and Connecticut's budding entertainment industry.
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