Life Lessons: Comedian/Teacher Puts Community Service First
Bryan Ross could be called an “inspiration.”
The Watts-born, Compton-raised comedian spends his days teaching in schools throughout underserved communities in Los Angeles County.
In August, he did something for himself. He performed during the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21.
The Ánimo Venice Charter High School teacher landed the gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival thanks to Ryan Mold, a London-based comic he befriended.
“I wanted to take my stand up international,” he said. “Ryan said if I was ever in London to hit him up, he’d find a couple places for me. I saw that the Fringe Festival was coming up in Scotland, so he added me to the bill.”
Ross will show off his comedic chops at The Electric Lodge in Venice at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4, and at the Asylum’s “TV Land: The Live Immersive Show” in Los Angeles at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7.
A teacher by trade, Ross has worked at Para Los Niños in DTLA. Currently, he is a physical education instructor at Ánimo Venice Charter High School.
“Comedy helps when the students get a bit out of control,” said Ross, who has a T-shirt line called Chuckle Brand. “I use my humor to get them back in line.”
He considers his comedy “observational and a bit self-deprecating.” Sometimes it didn’t quite translate well to the U.K. crowd, but he was nonetheless happy with the appearances.
“It was definitely an amazing, life-changing experience,” Ross said. “Once I got there, I learned that Edinburgh is a walking town. Everything is so close. You don’t need public transportation, Uber or a car service. There’s this saying in LA, ‘Nobody walks in LA.’ It’s so true.
“It was very refreshing to be able to walk around. The architecture, the buildings, that rich history was just so amazing to take in. Everyone I met was very nice, very genuine. That’s just the start.”
The interaction with other artists was refreshing, Ross added.
“Everyone was there doing a show or promoting a show, trying to get on a show,” he said. “There was this hustle, but this positive energy of everybody hustling, trying to network and be seen. It felt like, for me, that you were doing something great. It was on such a grand scale. It’s one of the largest free art festivals in the world. Just to be a part of that was incredible.”
An actor as well, Ross said the hospitality was great in Scotland — especially at the Castle Park Guest House, where he stayed.
“It was lovely,” he said. “I had a Scottish breakfast there. I wasn’t familiar with a Scottish breakfast. It’s eggs, baked beans, square beef sausage, a flat scone and vegetarian haggis. It was a really big breakfast every morning. There was a fifth option: smoked salmon. I had more of that option than the Scottish breakfast. Those Scots know how to eat, and that’s a great thing.”
Comedy wasn’t always in Ross’ cards — but community service was.
“Me growing up in Watts, I was a product of the inner-city,” he said. “I grew up in the ’80s. The crack epidemic was happening, and my father was affected, so were a couple of uncles and aunties. I saw there was a definite need for male mentors to get the youth off the street. I told myself that once I had the opportunity to do so, I would give back as well.”
Concurrently, he was frequently told he should do stand-up, something he long had in mind.
“Fear is what kept me from being in stand-up,” he added. “I grew up in musical comedy. One of my high school history teachers really pushed me. I was afraid of the boos. Fast forward to when I was 34, and I was tired of being afraid. I just wanted to do it. The best way was on my own terms, on my birthday, at the biggest venue I could think of: The Comedy Store off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.”
Even though he was prepped by other comics, the show was pretty lackluster, he said.
“I fell flat on my face,” he said. “I was terrible. It was so bad.”
However, that rush of being onstage kept him inspired. That initial “failure” kept him motivated to do better next time.
“Every opportunity I had, I became more confident,” he said. “I love the feeling of being up there and telling my story. I knew I needed to continue doing this.”
