Meet Eric Newton | Writer | Comedian | Hufflepuff

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

Hi Eric, how do you think about risk?
As an artist, taking risks has naturally been a character trait of mine, however, as I got older I did notice I had begun to stop taking risks on the things that previously brought me joy in life. Instead I started placing a high priority on things I thought would bring me safety and security in life. (Hecka boring, I know 🙂

Looking back now, I see how delusional I actually was because safety, security, stability, those things were merely illusions in my life at that time. I was working in the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, so events like massive layoffs, company mergers and office closures, things like that happened all the time. Not to mention the cost of living in the SF Bay Area was one of the highest in the entire country and continued to rise. Then eventually COVID came along and very quickly after that, everything that seemed like the normal, natural way life was expected to progress, suddenly seemed completely broken and insane, at least to me.

So during that period I really opened my eyes to the fact that nothing lasts forever, nothing is guaranteed and that’s actually fine. It’s beautiful that nothing lasts forever because that’s how growth and rebirth come into play. I find it comforting that nothing is guaranteed because that means nearly every decision you can make is equally risky, in the grand scheme of things and there’s no guarantee I’ll fail just because I decided to take a new path.

In June 2022 a life changing opportunity was presented to me: ride it out at my cushy tech job for as long as it lasts or take a huge risk on my actual dream job, that may only last for 2 months. To me it wasn’t really a question of “am I ready to risk switching careers”, the question was am I ready to risk it all, risk everything and bet on myself. It was literally my Red Pill/Blue Pill moment and my affinity towards risk taking had returned during the isolation of the COVID lockdown and it couldn’t have had happened at better time for me.

Today, 2 years later, I’m a professional comedian, touring all over North America, in an international hit burlesque show and taking risks continues to fuel my success and quality of life. Taking that huge risk helped me understand myself on much more intimate level. I understand my strengths and weakness so much better now. My personal approach to life, and what I want to achieve in life is more vivid and clear than it’s ever been. Taking risks has shown me what I’m actually capable of when I don’t allow doubt to stop me from trying in the first place. And that information is always worth the risk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In my profession as both a writer and a performer, I’m mostly known for performing as the host/emcee of a Star Wars themed burlesque parody called The Empire Strips Back. Since joining the cast I’ve toured major markets all across America and Canada, I’ve performed for A-list celebrities, I’ve been mentioned in various print media and I’ve even made appearances on television.

Getting to the point of my career I’m currently at has been the toughest and scariest battle I’ve ever fought but it’s also been the most rewarding too. My whole life, I’ve always known there was something different about me, so I always gravitated towards the arts: writing, poetry, song writing, playing multiple instruments, drawing, painting and just spending time alone, letting my imagination run wild, those things always brought me the most joy in life. Over the years I began to focus my creative energy into performing comedy, so about 7 or 8 years ago I started doing amateur standup comedy and taking improv classes. Even then, being completely brand new, I could already see I was really good at it, even though I knew there was so much more to learn still. So I just kept developing my craft over the years and eventually one day out of the blue, I earned an opportunity to host The Empire Strips Back in San Francisco, in a role so perfectly suited to me and my skillset, it’s almost like the role was created specifically for me! So I admit, it was the luckiest break of my life and to this day, I’m eternally grateful I was the person chosen for the role.

The day after our opening show in July of 2022, I officially left my job in the tech industry and became a full time, professional working artist.

My advice to anyone chasing any one of their dreams is to learn to fall in love with the work it takes to achieve that dream because that work never goes away. The work it took to get there becomes the experience that proves you belong there, but the work remains just the same.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I actually live in Oakland CA and I was only here in Colorado for our 3 month run run of The Empire Strips Back – Denver, but the three places I would recommend are the rooftop restaurant at The Source Hotel, Little Man Ice Cream and Mile High Comics.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to shoutout Russall Beatties, the original creator and director of The Empire Strips Back. Russall gave me my biggest break as a performer in the entertainment industry. His confidence in me to not only write and develop but to perform my own material, as my own act in his show, that experience propelled me to a level in my career as a performer that would have otherwise taking years, if it ever even happened.

Website: https://iamericnewton.com

Instagram: @iamericnewton

Twitter: @iamericnewton

Facebook: Eric Newton

Youtube: iamericnewton

Image Credits
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