“I love performing in Ohio,” he said. “Literally,is Ohio in my favorite state to perform in … Once I did 17 shows in one week. You have to not talk, be sure to eat, write and monitor your energy.”
Jackson started stand-up comedy in 2004 while he was in college at Eastern Washington University. He did it on a dare, and it turned out he was good at it. His stand-up career has led to other opportunities in the entertainment world.
Beyond his Netflix comedy special that came out in July, Jackson has been a part of numerous TV Shows including “Nick Cannon Presents Wild’N Out” on MTV and “The Young Rock” on NBC. He has been a writer and producer on other comedy shows.
He also has a recurring role on the highly anticipated TV show “The Paper” about a newspaper in Toledo. It is a mockumentary shot in the style of “The Office,” and Jackson said that this is definitely a must-see.
His character is usually in the building’s basement.
“The Paper” was picked up for a second season before the first season even debuted on Peacock on Sept. 5.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” he said. “They had lightning in a bottle for ‘The Office.” For ‘The Paper,’ whatever they had in that bottle is in this one too.”
Jackson is known for his crowd work. He has the quick wit to find the funny in the room and build upon it. He said that crowd work is part of the gig, and makes no two shows the same.
“It’s free style,” he said. “You’re mining for funny. Come to a show, you’ll get 90 minutes of just me. Crowd work is just a part of it. It’s just something I was comfortable posting on social and the crowd sometimes prefers it that way. They want something fresh.”
Jackson, who is sometimes called “Big Dog” because of a joke about a cocker spaniel in his Netflix special, is used to performing in comedy clubs, but is excited to have a show in a theater.
“It’s bigger so some people might have an affinity for it,” he said. “Comedy clubs are more intimate, but the theater, I can get to more people. It’s my job to make the theater feel smaller. You see the same amount of people,, but it only took one show.”
In 2021, Jackson opened up his own comedy club called “Super Funny Comedy Club” in Tacoma, Wash.. At the club, he has brought back his monthly “Crowd Work Joint,” which has an interesting theme to it.
“It’s a challenge,” he said. “It’s just everything that I’ve seen since I woke up [that day]. We had a hiatus, but now it’s back on YouTube.”
“Crowd Work Joint” allows the comedian to hone his skills in crowd work, and it’s a challenge because he must play off the audience and their experiences for the entire show. But Jackson said that he plans to bring his highly engaging crowd work, along with his jokes to Dayton.
“Expect big laughs, a good time,” he said. “It’s the type of fun you don’t want to miss. I hope everyone watching can get as much joy out of their lives as they can. Just stay living.”
The show will be at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Victoria Theatre. Tickets are $46.50-$58.50. To purchase tickets, visit www.daytonlive.org.
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