T.J. Miller
Actor, Comedian
How To Be Funny Everywhere
T.J. Miller is a comedian who has starred in Cloverfield, Our Idiot Brother, and Comedy Central's Mashup; released a 41-track comedy-rap album, The Extended Play EP; and hosts the podcast Cashing in With T.J. Miller.
On the subject of being a writer-performer, Miller says, "The negative aspect is that the audience expects more from us, and it puts the onus on us to figure out how to have a presence in many mediums. It's almost overwhelming for the performer and sometimes for the audience. But the upside is it takes away the power from rare Tonight Show spots, which in the past could change your life. The audience is trained to be okay with everything not being polished and perfect. You can experiment more because everybody's not expecting everything you put on Twitter to be gold.
"... It's on the artist to decide their identity in each medium. My Twitter can be an identity that isn't all golden jokes, and my podcast appearances can be a different thing."
Click here to read the full conversation about how to be funny everywhere between Miller and comedy writer Julie Klausner, No. 59 on our Most Creative People list.
Timeline
2008
Named one of 12 rising stars of comedy by Entertainment Weekly
2009
Named one of ten comics on Comedy Central's "Hot List"
Wins role in Yogi Bear by filming his audition tape with an actual bear
Studies classical acting at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts in Oxford, England
Regularly contributes to Chelsea Lately on E!
Illustration by Zoran Lucic
A version of this article appears in the June 2012 issue of Fast Company.