Jarred & Hobbit of The Mighty Kids Beatbox: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Comedian
Be curious. Do things. Go to a weird small local museum. Try different things. It’s all experiences that can lead to good comedy material. In Canada I saw a massive apple statue on the side of the road. We pulled in and it was a restaurant that only did various apple dishes. It was weird and hilarious. I had an apple milkshake (disgusting) apple pie (amazing) shredded chicken marinaded in cider (delicious) I bought an apple hat that I left in Auckland airport (gutted)
As a part of our series called “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Comedian”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing The Mighty Kids Beatbox -Jarred & Hobbit.
The Mighty Kids Beatbox is a beatboxing and comedy duo, featuring Award-Winning Comedian, winner of Chortle’s ‘Best Compere’ Award and Star of CBBC’s ‘The Joke Machine’ and ‘The Dog Ate My Homework’ — Jarred Christmas, alongside Jack “Hobbit” Hobbs — Member of World Champion Beatbox Crew ‘The Beatbox Collective’, Voice of Juke on Cartoon Network’s ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ and Current 2 x UK Loopstation Champion.
This August, The Mighty Kids Beatbox are bringing their brand-new show to Edinburgh Fringe, at the Assembly Rooms, Piccolo Tent, Edinburgh from 3rd -27th August.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Hobbit: I grew up in the Southwest of the UK, both my parents were musicians so had a lot of musical influence growing up. In school, I used to play drums at lunch/break and a friend of mine showed me a clip of someone beatboxing and I instantly fell in love with it. I started practicing and performing at school shows, for friends at lunchtime and then open mics around the city. This then led to getting booked for shows and as they say, the rest is history!
Jarred: I grew up on army bases around New Zealand. My dad was in the army. It was just him.
Every couple of years we would move, and I would have to make new friends. Making people laugh was the quickest way to make new friends.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path as a beatboxer?
Hobbit: To be honest, it was never planned. I started doing it for fun and became addicted to it. I started performing at school shows thanks to a teacher who enjoyed what I did which gave me the confidence to try out and perform at open mics around my city. This then led to getting booked for shows — shows where they would pay travel and I would perform for free. Which then led to getting booked for travel plus a bit of money on top, then more shows and more opportunities arose. This was all before social media so the way of getting out there and getting shows was a lot more hands on and by word of mouth.
Jarred: I was doing a performing arts degree. One of my friends had to put on a show as part of her course work and she asked me to do stand up in the show. I had no idea what to do. But I said yes and I went onstage and made it up. It was such a friendly crowd that I got away with it. I did a contemporary dance interpretation of drowning in custard. Somehow it worked.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Hobbit: I have been lucky to be able to travel the world performing and play at some awesome shows. From doing a UK arena tour as part of Young Voices, to supporting artists like Gabrielle and Run DMC. I have also written the music for and performed in multiple theatre shows, festivals and tours as well as voicing a character in The Amazing World of Gumball on Cartoon Network. It’s been quite the journey!
Jarred: There are so many. I performed stand up on a train carriage to early morning commuters because someone thought it would be a good way to cheer people up in the morning. It wasn’t. I’ve performed to British soldiers in the Falkland Islands. A big name American comedian kidnapped me in Sydney and took me to a Chinese restaurant with his friends. It was a great night. But, I was with my cousin when he pulled up in his van and his mate dragged me onto it. My cousin genuinely thought I had been kidnapped!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Jarred: I was booked to host a show in Nottingham. I walked to the venue. I didn’t really know where it was. But I saw a queue of people and thought “this must be it”. I walk to the front and said to the security guy “I’m hosting the show” he stamped my hand and told me where to go. It was a really cool music venue. I found the manager and told him I’m the host. He says ok. Go and introduce the first band. It was earlier than I thought the show was starting, plus I thought it was other comedians, not me introducing bands. But I went on, did ten minutes of comedy and introduces the band.
I then got a message asking where I was from the promoter. I was in the wrong venue. Wrong show.
The manager of the music night then said to me that they don’t usually have a host, but I was so confident he went with it. Lesson: you can get in anywhere with confidence.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Hobbit: When I started there was a UK beatboxer called TyTe who is famous for creating the first ever online beatboxer tutorials. When I first started performing, he helped me a lot by helping my confidence to perform, booking me for shows he put on and also how to teach beatbox workshops.
Jarred: My wife. Amelia. Not only does she do the heavy lifting of dealing with the kids and the household when I’m away doing shows, she’s also incredibly creative and funny. She has guided me ever since we met. She’s great — supportive and really really nice to me. She’s the one who encouraged me and Hobbit to do a family version of our normal show.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Hobbit: I think you must trust your gut and go for things. The number of different shows and projects I have done is thanks to that. From performing at shows, to working in theatre, tv adverts, festivals etc is thanks to just trying stuff out. If you don’t like it, don’t do it again. But you won’t know if you don’t try!
Jarred: Failure is a stepping -stone to success. You show me a comedian who hasn’t failed and I will show you a comedian who isn’t funny. To be a comic you have to embrace your imitations, your mistakes, these are the things and experiences that make you human and everyone relates to them. That is where a lot of comedy comes from. Just give it a go. If you don’t then you will never know.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Hobbit: Of course, performing with Jarred in The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show is one thing — I never thought I would get into the comedy circuit and performing these kinds of shows, but I love it. I think with beatboxing, it really blends well with comedy as it has its moments of comedic nature with sounds and the way we work together really shows of how well they can mix. I would also say being part of the Young Voices tour and playing at sold out shows at some of the biggest arenas in the UK was a mind-blowing experience. From here, I just take every job and project as they come — there is always something exciting and different on the horizon.
Jarred: Mighty Kids Beatbox comedy show at the Edinburgh fringe festival. Solo stand-up show called Silly Billy I’ll keep creating. Keep things interesting. More collaboration with Hobbit and our director Rob Deering.
What do you do to get material to write your jokes? What is that creative process like?
Jarred: I keep my eyes open. Noticing things about my life and things I encounter.
I’ll write an idea down and then I’ll take it onstage and play around with the idea in front of an audience. If it gets a laugh, I keep it.
Super. Here is our main question. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Comedian” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
Jarred: Learn basic accounting. It’s not exciting, but it’s hugely necessary for anyone who is self-employed.
Bring your product to the environment don’t become a product of the environment.
It means be true to yourself and don’t do things that you don’t want to do just to please others.
If you are getting a ride with someone else to a comedy show… bring snacks.
I once did a 5 hour car journey with another comic. We got stuck on the motorway for hours. I did not bring snacks. It was a horrible time that could have been made better with hobnobs.
Be curious. Do things. Go to a weird small local museum. Try different things. It’s all experiences that can lead to good comedy material. In Canada I saw a massive apple statue on the side of the road. We pulled in and it was a restaurant that only did various apple dishes. It was weird and hilarious. I had an apple milkshake (disgusting) apple pie (amazing) shredded chicken marinaded in cider (delicious) I bought an apple hat that I left in Auckland airport (gutted)
Don’t get too serious about having a laugh.
Can you please give us your favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Hobbit: “Be a nice person!” It doesn’t cost anything to be a nice person and especially in the cutthroat industry of being a creative it can be hard to not get annoyed at how some things play out. But as long as you can stay positive, be nice to people you meet and stay true to yourself you are on a winner!
Jarred: Dead Poets Society. To Strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.
Work hard, search for your place in the world, find it, find your voice and reason. Never Give Up.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Hobbit: Get the whole world beatboxing and making silly sounds, it can brighten up anyone’s day ☺
Jarred: Don’t be a numbskull. The movements only requirement is to ask yourself before doing anything “is this what a numbskull would do?” If the answer is yes, don’t do it.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Jarred: Ryan Reynolds seems a lot of fun and full of drive. Creative and interesting. Hook me up with a lunch date with him and I will take him out for a reasonably priced burger. If he’s good he gets a milkshake.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Hobbit: Yes, @beatboxhobbit pretty much everywhere!
Jarred: Insta: jarredchristmascomedian/ Facebook: Jarred Christmas / TikTok: Jarred & Hobbit
To book tickets for our Edinburgh shows — visit www.assemblyfestival.com
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Jarred & Hobbit of The Mighty Kids Beatbox: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.