After featuring for Faizon Love at the Dayton Funny Bone, Jackson was approached by two men, one of which was Eric Nolan, a member of the R&B group the O’Jays. The men chatted and they gave Jackson their card for JAE Films. Two to three months later, they contacted Jackson and asked him to be part of the series.
“They only saw me feature, but I said I would do the special,” Jackson said. “I asked ‘how much time do you want me to do,’ and they said, ‘an hour.’ An hour, really? It’s not like I didn’t have an hour, but I really wanted to do this, so I was like, let me get myself together.”
Jackson only had five weeks to prepare for the special. He started hitting open mics as much possible to get ready. He got to where he needed to be and traveled to Youngstown to film. Two other comedians Mike Bonner and Mario Hodge also performed hour-long sets for the series. James Ford directed the special and Jackson also received a producer credit.
The special came out just two weeks ago, and Jackson said he has received great feedback from those who have seen it. The series features comedians of the older persuasion, but being an older comic is not a negative thing in Jackson’s view.
“It feels good to be in the game this long and see some things come to fruition,” he said. “I talk about me and the stuff I deal with. People say I have lots of good stories. People that are my age like to reminisce when I talk about the ‘90s. What a beautiful time. You’re always going to be biased. But I try to focus on comparing today versus how it used to be.”
Jackson likes the trajectory of his comedy career currently, but he has already opened for some big names including Dave Chappelle, Steve Harvey and Katt Williams. He even opened for the O’Jays at the infamous Hara Arena before it shut its doors.
“Just because you are older doesn’t mean you are eliminated,” he said. “Younger comics will talk about my age, but when I get on stage, I still kick their butts. I can still rock ‘n roll with whoever.”
Currently, Jackson is working on scripts for Xtreme Valley Wrestling in Fairborn. He has been helping with character development and punching up story lines. He also has a podcast with fellow local comedian Jerrell Beamon called the Unk & Nephew podcast. The two have a 30-year age gap between them, so they like to discuss their generational differences.
Even though it happened quickly, Jackson said he is eager to do a second special. He enjoys learning about the process of putting a special together and the promotion that goes into it. However, it does all come down to telling jokes.
“You have to put the work in,” he said. “If it happens overnight, you hit the comedy lottery. Make sure everyone loves you in your home city before you start stepping out. Research and do your due diligence. Write and go to clubs. That’s the best advice I can give right now.”
MORE DETAILS
Jackson will perform at Lov’s Whiskey Barrel Saloon at 939 N. Keowee St. at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 10. The comedy series “Live from the Living Room” is currently streaming on Tubi. For more on Jackson, visit https://linktr.ee/raymondjacksonjokes.
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