Stand-up comic and producer speaks with SCA class

Longtime stand-up comic, writer, voice artist and now executive producer-actor of CBS sitcom “Bob Hearts Abishola” Gina Yashere spoke to a School of Cinematic Arts class Thursday about incorporating her lessons from doing stand-up comedy into all facets in her career.

Born in London to Nigerian parents, the English comedienne originally worked as an elevator engineer before securing stand-up appearances on famed comedy shows such as “Live at the Apollo” and “Blouse and Skirt,” the latter focusing on the Black British experience. After working and achieving a great amount of success in the U.K., Yashere felt as though she hit the glass ceiling.

“I just felt like in England I was a big, big fish in a small pond,” Yashere said. “I wanted to expand, and as a Black performer in England, I thought I’d hit the glass ceiling. You know, because it’s such a small amount of talent, especially television, such a smaller market in England, and they have almost a nightclub policy when it comes to Black performers in England. One of us gets on TV, and then the rest of us have to sit back and wait ‘til they die to get on TV. So I was like, I can’t wait.”

In 2007, she made her U.S. comedy debut on the “Last Comic Standing,” a reality competition show for aspiring comics that earned her a spot in The Hollywood Reporter’s top 10 rising talents. Yashere has since focused her work in the States. One year later, she became the first and only British comedian to appear on “Def Comedy Jam,” the HBO comedy series that was the bedrock for the careers of comics like Bernie Mac and Dave Chappelle.

“It was filmed in L.A., there was a massive crowd that was, you know, a lot of comedians were like, ‘Oh, my God this is a big break,’” Yashere said. “But coming from England, I already had sort of 12 years of television experience under my belt and doing stand-up comedy television shows in England. For me it was just like, ‘Eh, this is fun.’”

Bayo Akinfemi, adjunct lecturer in the SCA Division of Film & Television Production and recurring actor on the Yashere co-creation “Bob Hearts Abishola,” invited Yashere to speak to the “Cinematic Communication” class to show Yashere’s evolution from a stand-alone comic to taking bigger roles in producing, writing and casting for a major studio. 

“I can absolutely testify to what she says there,” Akinfemi said. “I don’t know how she does it. We marvel at how much stuff she does. It’s just incredible to see her juggle all these different responsibilities, without missing a beat. It’s amazing.”

While hitting minor roles on TV series and correspondent spots on late shows such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” Yashere also produced three stand-up specials on Netflix while also starring in the second-season installment of the platform’s “The Standups.”

As the studios weren’t receptive to her audition tapes, she rented out 300-person theaters in London, sold tickets and shot her own specials to sell to Showtime and Netflix, owning the property and still making money on royalties. 

“I feel like comedy has gone the way of music, where it’s the younger, the hotter … are getting stand up specials over the older, funnier people,” Yashere said. “So when I came to America, I was not getting specials, nobody was offering me specials … I’d send tapes in to Comedy Central, to Netflix — all those guys — nobody was interested. So I was like ‘Well, fuck ‘em. I’m gonna make my own specials.’”

Yashere described the transition to working on “Bob Hearts Abishola” as an investment in her own talent. Chuck Lorre, creator of “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “The Kominsky Method,” found Yashere through a Google search for a Nigerian woman to consult on a new show about a relationship between actor Billy Gardell and a Nigerian nurse. 

Her role was integral in creating the authenticity that shines through in the performances, including pushing for Nigerian actress Folake Olowofoyeku to play the lead, Yashere described in an interview with MEAWW earlier this week.  It was also vital to procuring the writing for several quippy scenes entirely in Yoruba, which secured her the executive producer and writer role on the show. 

Lorre brought some writers from his shows, but Yashere ensured that the stories, many of which were inspired by her own upbringing, were written from diverse perspectives. Five out of 8 writers in the room are women, two of whom are Nigerian and one who is African American. 

“When I was meeting with the guys and creating the show I was like, ‘Listen, we need some Black writers, you need some writers of color in this room. It can’t be all white dudes because half the cast is Nigerian,” Yashere said. “And if you want this to be authentic, I cannot be the only voice of color in this room.”

She ended the talk, after bantering with Akinfemi for keeping her over her time, with some advice for the students.

“Don’t wait for the gatekeepers to tell you whether your stuff is good enough or whether you’re good enough to have your product out there,” Yashere said. “There are so many, so many ways to share your work now that you don’t need to wait for anybody.”