Meet Chris Mosley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Mosley.

Hi Chris, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started comedy just by simply making funny videos in the neighborhood with some of my childhood friends. We lived in Saint Louis, Mo and we just desperately needed something to keep us productive to stray away from getting into trouble. As time went along, I saw what could possibly come from making people laugh online. That developed into my interest in stand-up comedy. However I never fully dove into it until after a really bad breakup. My material was simply about that particular relationship. I was angry and bitter, to say the least. But it worked for the audience. That’s when I realized I had way much more to say than just one relationship’s failures. I expanded my material and quickly fell in love with the art of expressing yourself on stage and it being good enough to make people laugh and relate. After about 2 years of doing open mics and desperately trying to get on any comedy show that would have me in my city, my manager at the time suggested a move to Arizona. Being from Missouri, no one hears anything about Arizona unless you’re talking about Larry Fitzgerald.

After doing research, I realized it was the perfect place to move not only for my career but for my family. So I packed up and came. Nothing went as planned initially. We went through a financial scam with a homeowner and ended up living from hotel to hotel. This setback did all but stop me. I kept hitting stages, kept attending open mics, and kept making connections. Eventually, I would land on my feet and finally get my own place which made me even more productive because now I can perform and not worry about “where am I going to sleep after this?” This game is full of hits and misses, and lately, I’ve been hitting pretty consistently. So I’m just enjoying the ride.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The comedy itself is a struggle no matter what kind of background you come from. Whether your financial situation, living conditions, or support system, the challenge of getting total strangers to connect with you and trust you with their time on a night-in and night-out basis is enough to drive the most level-headed person a little nut. Yet still, there definitely were things along this journey that made my goals seem unrealistic or untouchable. The fact that at one point, I was rotating between living in a weekly hotel and a friend’s home. I would rotate in order to try and save money from the weekly checks I was getting from a call center job.

Add that to the fact that my two daughters were not living with me but instead were in Texas and had no idea of their Dad struggling. They weren’t accustomed to not seeing me or hearing from me, so the guilt of me missing out on so many moments in their lives weighed heavily on my mind. So much so that even when I had the time to actually write a joke, I just couldn’t. I had gotten into some trouble with the law here in Arizona which made getting a well-paying job virtually impossible. A “possession of a fraudulent item” charge was on my record, as I had gotten caught up working for some very bad men that used people’s information to make fake checks and cashed them a few thousand dollars at a time. I was desperate at the time, and clearly wasn’t thinking. However, I pressed forward with my life and on stage. All this while putting a smile on my face in public. That was probably the biggest struggle.

Making it seem like everything in my life was peachy when in reality it was on the brink of falling apart.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a comedian that can entertain in a multitude of ways. I make funny sketches for social media, write, produce, and act in comedic web series and short films, do stand-up comedy, and host. I consider myself a jack of all trades when it comes to getting a laugh. A lot of people only know me from my online videos, and others have only seen me perform on stage. I even used to host weddings for a little while, so there are some married couples that have me in their special day memories and photos. I would say the biggest thing I’m proud of, is the first time I ever picked up a camera and turned it on myself and began to trust myself to be funny. In my opinion, nothing is more important on the road to success than the first step.

I feel like my work ethic and willingness to sacrifice “fun” for “productivity” is what has gotten me thus far and sets me apart from most. I have no issue with operating on 4 hours of sleep if need be. I don’t mind working on material, editing videos, and brainstorming all weekend as opposed to going out and kicking it all night. I’m never satisfied and yet at the same time, I recognize when it is time to relax and enjoy just how far I’ve come. I know, more now than before, the importance of just chilling with the family and getting those quality moments as well. This all strengthens me for when it’s time to go back to work. Balance. That’s what every creative person struggles with. And I feel like I’ve found mine.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve got tons of mentors and supporters. Mainly because my grandfather used to teach me “Knowledge doesn’t care where it comes from”. So I would be at the bus stop listening to the advice of someone who randomly decided to speak with me. I remember sleeping in a park in Phoenix, and there was a group of homeless people chatting away about life, and when I joined the conversation and told them about my career, they all had some unique advice to which I still hold on. Mainly the consistent mentors/supporters in my life have always been my parents and my close friends that I always refer to as my brothers. None of us are related by blood, but we definitely are related by life. I can go to them literally about anything. I may get jokes cracked on me about certain things, but I’m definitely getting support as well. My Momma has always been a loud cheerleader in everything I’ve done. When I played football, she would yell and scream at my teammates if we weren’t playing hard enough. My Dad has always been “Lavar Ball” before people knew who Lavar Ball was.

There was nothing I did that he didn’t brag about. If you were interviewing him right now, you’d think I was the next coming of Eddie Murphy. My brothers Philip, Corey, Craig, Chris, Jason, Lance, and Adam have never let me down.

They weren’t even actors and easily hopped in all the comedy sketches I came up with. We even did comedy sketches live on stage at colleges. My best friends Jane and Missmollie were an instrumental part of that as well. It’s HARD to get women in Saint Louis to do anything like what I do. So the fact that they were down for the cause always has me thankful for them. My ex-manager, while he’s not my manager anymore, still deserves his props for even thinking about Arizona, to begin with. He definitely didn’t mind bragging to potential venues and others about how he’s got “The best new comedian you’ll see for a long time”.

Lastly, I would have to thank both my girlfriends Latrice and Ajsia. Latrice had been down for every move I made.

Long as I was happy, she was happy to support me. And Ajsia is one of the best cheerleaders a comedian can ask for.

Her laugh is so contagious. I always say “If I can have 100 ‘Ajsia’s’ at every show, people will think I’m a legend.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i.am.chris.mosley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sillymantv13/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sillymantv