The Style Behind Josh Ocean Thomas’ RISE to Comedy Stardom

How to be authentic, viral-worthy, and hilarious

With a reputation for his high-energy performances, quick wit, and unique perspective, Josh Ocean Thomas has quickly become a rising star in the comedy world. In this episode of House of Style, host Grant Alexander welcomes the electrifying and incredibly talented comedian known for his ability to bring a room to life with vibrant stories and bold physicality. Josh has captivated audiences nationwide, performing to sold-out crowds and quickly growing a [big] loyal fanbase on social media.

Summary

From a childhood magician to a stand-up sensation, Josh reflects on how his unique style and personal experiences have shaped his comedic journey. He dives into the importance of staying present, the value of genuine connections, and how his Tunisian-American background informs his storytelling. With a magnetic stage presence and captivating anecdotes, Josh emphasizes the power of positivity and kindness in comedy and life alike. Tune in for a fun and insightful conversation that reveals the secrets behind Josh’s rise to social media fame and what exciting ventures lie ahead for this dynamic performer.

Josh Ocean Thomas, a vibrant stand-up comedian with a knack for captivating storytelling, shares the evolution of his comedic journey from a child magician to a social media sensation. Known for his dynamic stage presence and quick wit, Josh discusses how his background as a Tunisian-American shapes his comedic style, infusing his performances with a unique cultural perspective. The conversation delves into the importance of authenticity in comedy, with Josh emphasizing the value of being true to oneself, especially in an industry that can often feel overwhelming and judgmental. He reflects on the challenges of navigating family expectations while pursuing his passion and how embracing his identity has become a cornerstone of his success.

Listeners are treated to insights about the often-unseen pressures that come with growing social media followings and the expectations that accompany them. Josh recounts a recent camping trip that helped him reconnect with his roots and find clarity in his purpose as a performer. This journey of self-discovery allowed him to realize that the joy of comedy comes from genuine connections with his audience, rather than the pursuit of viral fame. The discussion flows into the idea of community, highlighting how having a strong support system can ground an artist and remind them of their intrinsic value, regardless of external validation.

The episode culminates in an exploration of how Josh’s experiences have shaped his approach to performance. He articulates his belief that comedy is about more than just making people laugh; it’s about providing an escape and a moment of joy in an often chaotic world. With humor, heart, and a touch of nostalgia, Josh encourages aspiring comedians to embrace their unique styles and reminds them that the journey is as important as the destination. This episode serves as both an entertaining listen and a motivational guide for anyone looking to carve their own path in the world of comedy and beyond.

High-energy and hilariously insightful, Josh Ocean Thomas opens up about his comedic journey in an engaging conversation with Grant Alexander. From his early days as a backyard magician to his current status as a rising star in the comedy world, Josh shares the pivotal moments that shaped his unique comedic voice. Listeners get a front-row seat to his experiences navigating the complexities of identity, particularly as a Tunisian-American, and how these elements have enriched his storytelling on stage.

The discussion takes a fascinating turn as Josh reflects on the pressures of social media fame and the expectations that come with it. After experiencing a moment of overwhelm, he embarked on a camping trip that provided him with a fresh perspective on life and comedy. This break allowed him to reconnect with the joy of performing, emphasizing that the key to success lies not in chasing trends but in staying true to one’s authentic self. His insights into the importance of community and support systems resonate deeply, reinforcing the idea that the journey of a comedian is as much about the relationships built along the way as it is about the punchlines delivered.

As the conversation unfolds, Josh also addresses the common misconceptions about comedians, challenging the stereotype of the tortured artist. He advocates for a positive mindset, encouraging aspiring comedians to embrace their unique styles and to find joy in the process rather than fixating on the outcome. With humor and heartfelt wisdom, this episode serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of laughter and authenticity, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to forge their own path in the world of entertainment.

Takeaways:

• Josh’s journey from magician to stand-up illustrates the power of embracing your unique path.
• Taking breaks and disconnecting from social media can lead to personal growth and clarity.
• Building genuine connections with your audience can create the most memorable and impactful moments.
• Sustaining a positive mindset is crucial for navigating the ups and downs of comedy or whatever you’re passionate about.
• Surrounding yourself with supportive people helps maintain motivation and focus in your career.

Transcript

Grant Alexander 00:00:00
Do you find that eye contact makes people feel uncomfortable, or do you think it helps?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:00:03
Depends on how you do it. I'm, like, gazing by just to be like. I'm not like, don't you think that's funny? Like, it's more of like, a.

Grant Alexander 00:00:11
That might be funny, though, for the right person.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:00:12
Yeah. Yeah.

Grant Alexander 00:00:13
Style is more than just the clothes you wear. It's the essence of who you are, and it's in everything you do. Discover it here and unleash your style beyond what you wear. Welcome back to house of style. I'm your host, Grant Alexander. And today we've got a guest whose story is guaranteed to bring some laughs and a whole lot of inspiration. Today we are sitting down with the social media adored and incredibly talented stand up comedian Josh Ocean Thomas. Josh is known for his high energy, magnetic stage presence and hilarious, relatable stories. So thank you very much for being here.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:00:52
Magnetic.

Grant Alexander 00:00:53
Magnetic. I feel like you're magnetic.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:00:54
I like that. I appreciate that. I wrote that in my own bio.

Grant Alexander 00:00:57
Actually, so it's pretty spot on.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:00
Yeah, I like that. Thank you. I appreciate it. It's good to be here, Grant.

Grant Alexander 00:01:03
Thank you for being here.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:03
Grant Alexander.

Grant Alexander 00:01:04
What a Grant Alexander. Thank you very much.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:06
Very, very constitutional name. I like that name. Alexander.

Grant Alexander 00:01:09
My parents were going for good. It's good.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:11
It's good to be here, Grant.

Grant Alexander 00:01:12
So I want to dive into how your unique style developed, how your journey through comedy shapes your perspectives and decisions and what it takes to. To bring such vibrancy and energy to the stage and to life. So let's dive into that. I want to start with the early influences in childhood. Like, you started off as a child a magician. What got you into entertaining? What made, you know, you wanted to be on stage in front of people?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:45
Well, I'm still developing, obviously, both comedically, mentally and. And physically. But I think it started a long time ago. I was really an over the top kid. Very annoying, very loud.

Grant Alexander 00:01:58
I couldn't tell.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:01:59
Very jazz handy kid. A lot of jazz hands. That's great youth. And they still. I have an outbreak once in a while, but they're settling down now. But I've always kind of into, like, being kind of very energetic. Like I said when I was a kid, I did magic tricks. Like, I did magic shows in my dad's backyard and would invite the neighbors, and then the magic shows turned into comedy shows, and I would sell tickets and rent party chairs, and we'd reconstruct the living room to look like a comedy club, and we'd get, like, 25, 30 neighbors in the living room. And so it was something I always wanted to do since I was, like, 1415. And then when I was 18, a family said, get out. No, they didn't say that. But I moved to Chicago right across the way.

Grant Alexander 00:02:42
Awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:02:43
And you can't see it, but there's a place where I lived over there, and I moved here, and I went to college here, and I started studying at Columbia College, Chicago. I studied comedic writing and performance. And I was confused because it was the first time in my life where I saw other people pursuing this thing, and it was the first time I saw it being pursued. Seriously?

Grant Alexander 00:03:05
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:03:05
So I didn't know what to do with it, and I didn't really want to do anything with it yet. I just wanted to enjoy being in college. And then the flu went around or something and sent us home for, like, a year. And when we came back from that is when I started doing it. And I kind of just did what I thought was funny and comedy. And I wore a suit to every open mic. I was the best dressed guy at the dive bar at 02:00 a.m. on a Wednesday night. I loved it that much. Right now. I'd wear, like, a little linen suit, and it was very bad. And I would tell jokes about, like, my mom or just physical, just making faces. It was very. And I remember a comedian came out to me after my act, and he went, that was not good. And I said, okay, we have some work to do here.

Grant Alexander 00:03:52
Did you like that?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:03:54
Yeah, it was kind of like a wait, yeah, let me do something here. I'm working on something. And then my first open mic was a terrible experience, terrible human experience. It was one of the worst experiences you can have as a person. I was a place on the south side. It was called Riddles Comedy Club, and it was a Monday night, and I was number 48 on a 51 person open mic. I classed the next day at 08:00 a.m. and I waited. I waited, I waited, and I woke up to the sound of myself being introduced to the stage because I fell asleep in the back of the room. And there was three people on stage, number 49 50 and 51. 52 went home already. And it was a terrible time. It was terrible. It was bad. But my way home, I just remember thinking, like, I can't wait to get back on stage again. And that's, like, a crazy thing to want after having such a bad experience.

Grant Alexander 00:04:44
I feel like that's a separator for people that get it and have such a passion for what they do. No matter how tough something may be, it doesn't matter, you know, this is still what you want to do.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:04:58
You just gotta do it.

Grant Alexander 00:04:59
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:04:59
And so I just kept doing it. And I was like, I'll do it for another week, another two weeks. And then, like, six and a half months passed, and I was like, whoa, I've kind of been doing this for six months. And I realized that when, like, my friends started, like, acknowledging that that's something I just do now is these terrible open mics, which, looking back, is charming, but in the moment, it was a terrible thing to be known for.

Grant Alexander 00:05:19
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:05:20
It's like, that's the guy that does dive bars on the south side on a Monday night. I'm like, hey, please, ladies. So my style started to develop once I stopped worrying so much. Where. When I started just getting on stage and having fun, was there a moment.

Grant Alexander 00:05:39
That you realized, like, that that happened in, were you like, I need to just go out and have fun? Was it that, were you before I went?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:05:47
I think when it was is when I. It was the first time returning to my hometown with comedy experience. So now I, let's say I've been doing it for almost a year, maybe no, maybe less than that. Maybe like, seven months, six months. And I went back to San Diego and I booked a show. I booked a show at, like, a comedy club. I was like, okay, this is pretty cool and real.

Grant Alexander 00:06:08
This is happening.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:06:09
Like, 30 of my friends came out and there was, like, 2030 other regular people. So it was like, my big crowd for me. And I remember just, like, doing a little bit of crowd work. And then, like, I just, like, asked some guy what he did for love and made a stupid joke about it and laughed. And that first laugh, I was kind of like, oh, I wasn't even really trying. I was like. I was really just kind of being myself. Just there, like, just goofy, schwanky, you know, very swanky, and it was a great time. And then I started relying on that. I was like, if I just go up there and I just kind of, like, be goofy and be myself. While also I know that my, every comedian has their strength. Some comedians it's delivery. Some comedians, it's confidence on stage. Some people, it's, you know, being a good person offstage sometimes it's writing. A lot of comedians are great writers. I'm not a fantastic writer, but my jokes come from, you know, dialogue with friends. And me being like, that's funny. Let me throw that on stage. But I don't really write any of my jokes out. Like, I don't have a single joke written out.

Grant Alexander 00:07:08
Really?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:07:08
Yeah, I just kind of have ideas that I know are funny, and then you do it once or twice. So now I know how the joke.

Grant Alexander 00:07:14
Goes, and you just remember, and then.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:07:15
You just keep doing it. And every time you do it, you add a line. You take out a line. I'm just, I never tell the joke the exact same way. So it's like something is always changing about the joke. So I have a joke now that's like a minute long, but started as, like, three minutes where it's like, okay, now I, like, figured out how to trim all that fat down. Now I'm just doing this once. So I kind of go on stage with the loose. Like, I don't have, like, a running order. I have, like, a normally a crumpled up piece of, like, you know, receipt paper. Yeah, I like that. I hit the feed button. That's what I like to write my sets on. And then I write, like, one or two words down for each joke, and I literally just, like, crumple it, put in my pocket, and I pull it out, and I'm like, okay, those are the jokes I want to do today in no particular order. And then when I'm on stage, it kind of just starts to flow. So I started relying on that flow.

Grant Alexander 00:07:57
That's really interesting. I feel like most that I've heard of or know, or at least what I imagine it would be, you have your a script and you, like, you follow that, and sure, you can add a remove, but you stick to that. You practice that. I feel like one question I thought of Washington. Is that what you learned in school? Do you feel like comedic writing? Is, can you. Is school for being a comedian worthwhile? Or is, like, do they teach you stuff that it's good foundationally, like, the three times, because that's funny, or, and you learn from that? Or is it. They say, like, here's what's, you know, here's the style that you probably should go for. Go. Go with that. And then, like, does it, does it kind of constrain any of your creativity or your style or personality or, like, was it valuable?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:08:47
I think what I took out of going to school for it was not how to be funny. It wasn't how to write funny. I think what I took out of it was how to treat it like a professional career. I think that's the knowledge I got.

Grant Alexander 00:09:02
Cool.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:09:03
I think being around other professionals and every comedian that I, almost, every comedian that I started with. From my college, quit by the time I started, like, picking up speed and, like, picking up momentum, kind of. I started with a group of, like, 15 people I would, like, lure out to mics every week, and then it's dwindled down. Dwindled down. Most people in my department were into the sketch acting, writing of everything. So I was kind of, like one of the only stand ups. Stand ups out of, like, the thing. I was the only person that kind of really went down that route. But then, you know, later, my college career, people started doing it as well.

Grant Alexander 00:09:37
But do you look down on sketch comics?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:09:39
No, absolutely not. I think it's so cool. I think it's hard. I think it's really hard. I think it's like, I think it's work. I mean, it's a short. Like, sketch comedy is so cool, especially done right, which it's not always done right. And when it is done right, I think it's really incredible. And it's something I love to be a part of. Like, I've had my sketches. I hope my sketches aren't over. I love acting. I like doing stuff like that. It's just not the thing that I found to be what I call, like, you know, my drive.

Grant Alexander 00:10:12
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:10:12
My drive isn't, oh, I want to be a sketch comedian and also do stand up. Mine is like, I want to do stand up comedy and whatever comes with that. I'm so excited to be a part of.

Grant Alexander 00:10:20
Cool.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:10:20
Yeah. Like, I want to be a part of the whole world of comedy.

Grant Alexander 00:10:23
Nice.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:10:23
But my, everyone's got their, you know, everyone's got their focus, everyone's got their thing. And mine was definitely stand up in college, so I don't think my school really offered too much for that, for stand up. But, you know, it encouraged me to, like, you know, teachers are, like, telling me stories about, you know, other comedians at and how they do it, where to go, and, you know, you meet all these people, and then there's a network of the school, you know, in the real world. So, you know, you mentioned the school. I went to that school. I know something that went to that school. It taught me just, it introduced me to the real world of entertainment.

Grant Alexander 00:10:56
Sure. Is. Is comedy a world where who, you know, is critical? Who, you know, clubs?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:11:04
Yes. Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah.

Grant Alexander 00:11:06
Getting a good slot, getting whatever it might be. Is that all on who?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:11:10
It's all. I mean, there's plenty of comedians who have made it very far in their career without being the funniest comedian around. It's all about who you know. I think that's in every industry, though. It's all about who you know and all that. But adults are just like, about comedy, in my opinion. Everyone has their own opinion on it. This is my opinion is that being a good person is so important in this industry because there's so many people who are not sure and, you know, not even being good, but being kind to other people and all that. And that's something people remember. And, but then you see a lot of people who do that because they know people are like, oh, he's nice. It's like, but then you gotta be genuine. And I think, for me, comedy has taught me how to be around so many people, so many different kinds of people, so many people from different backgrounds, stories, different kinds of humor. It's, it's put me around such a contrast of people where it's taught me how to, you know, adapt to different conversations and all that. And I'm 23 years old, so I don't know what the I'm talking about, but from what I've experienced is that it's, it's just taught me a lot about people. Yeah, in a good way. And it's taught me to love being around so many different kinds of people. And, you know, you meet people, and it's all about connections and building relationships, and there's no better feeling than walking to a comedy club and knowing all the staff by first name and feeling that family dynamic and hugging people, and. It's nice to see you. How you been? How's your family? It feels like a family. You want to walk into a comedy club, and when you feel like a family, you feel welcome there.

Grant Alexander 00:12:46
It's, there's no feeling like, yeah, I imagine that helps set up a better show for everybody.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:12:52
When the vibes are good, everything is good.

Grant Alexander 00:12:54
I preach kindness. I'm pretty sure I bring it up in every episode. To me, it's the thing that people remember totally. I always say, people remember your first impression that you leave, and they remember if you were kind and, like, how you made them feel. They don't remember anything else. And I think, especially for, whether it's comedian or musician or a stylist and entrepreneur, it's very much for House of style, for the bigger business. We're trying to raise $42 million before we ever make a dollar.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:13:27
Should have just asked. I could help out.

Grant Alexander 00:13:30
Now I know. Now I know. And when you're doing that, the way you treat people is so critical because they're like, who the f are you? I'm like, I'm nice.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:13:41
I'm nice. I'm Grant Alexander and I'm nice. $42 million.

Grant Alexander 00:13:46
It's not that much. It's not that much.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:13:48
Small loan.

Grant Alexander 00:13:49
Yeah, it's very tiny, but. So I want to get into kind of the style in action, like right now and how it's kind of helped your personal and professional growth more so, like, now, so a little less, but the early on. So your comedy brings, like I said before, this, like, vibrant energy. And some of it's, I think a lot of it's through crowd work. Like, from what I see on socials, a lot of it's crowd work. And I am excited to go to your show after this to see it live and experience it. But how has embracing your performance and your style set you up for success now out of the doing all these little open mics as you get bigger and become a household name in comedy?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:14:39
When I walk on stage, it definitely is a different feeling than not being on stage, which is obvious, but I can't tap into that offstage. I've never been able to.

Grant Alexander 00:14:52
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:14:54
The only time I can tap into that is back home I was a kayak tour guide, and when I would do those kayak tours, I could tap into it a little bit. But there's nothing quite like going on stage to 100 5200 strangers who don't know who you are. They've never seen you before. They're only there because they're at the comedy club and you happen to be on the bill and you're meeting all these people for the first time. So my, when I go up there, I want to bring this energy where it's like, I'm so excited to meet you.

Grant Alexander 00:15:25
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:15:25
Like, I'm so genuinely and I'm honestly so grateful every time I get to be on stage because, you know, I've had times where I can't be on stage for a long period of time because I'm, you know, other things in life. So when I get on stage, it feels like this, okay? I'm meeting all these wonderful people. I don't know any of them. They don't know me. But you try to build a connection right away. And the only way to, like, try to tap into all those different people is by providing enough energy to be like, I got enough for all of us. So you guys, don't worry.

Grant Alexander 00:15:57
Just enjoy yourself.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:15:58
I got it right. And I like moist scanning. I'm always making eye contact.

Grant Alexander 00:16:03
And do you find that eye contact makes people feel uncomfortable? Or do you think it depends on how you do it?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:16:10
I'm, like, gazing by just to be like. I'm not like, don't you think that's funny? Like, it's more of like a.

Grant Alexander 00:16:16
That might be funny, though. Yeah. For the right person.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:16:18
Yeah. Yeah.

Grant Alexander 00:16:19
But try that out next time.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:16:20
It's more like I'm looking around and I'm like. Like, you get it. Like, I'm trying to have a conversation. And my favorite thing is, like, when you do that, you're looking at someone and they're going and they're, like, listening.

Grant Alexander 00:16:30
Right.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:16:31
And then when you see people listening, it's this kind of, like, you built this connection with a random person. And there's something special about having 200 people that don't know each other either. All, they come from different places, different economic classes, different backgrounds, different ethnicities, and they're all coming together and laughing at one thing.

Grant Alexander 00:16:47
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:16:48
And it kind of builds this big connection. And then I love going to the lobby after meeting people, and it's. It's made me. It just makes me excited to be around new faces and to be around other comedians and be in the room when we're doing those. It's a special, special feeling.

Grant Alexander 00:17:06
That's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:07
Yeah.

Grant Alexander 00:17:07
I feel like we were talking about this before we started, but to me, the things that bring people together and have the power to do that, it's like music, comedy, magic, and food, too.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:20
Food, yes, food is good.

Grant Alexander 00:17:22
And those are. Are you musically inclined?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:25
I played violin for a long, long time.

Grant Alexander 00:17:27
Really?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:28
Yes.

Grant Alexander 00:17:28
And so played you don't still.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:30
I have one, and once in a while I'll pick it up.

Grant Alexander 00:17:33
All right.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:34
I still got it, but, yeah, I was a classical violinist, Suzuki trained. I was in the San Diego Youth Symphony for like, ten years. Really? For eight years.

Grant Alexander 00:17:43
Why did you stop?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:17:46
Sorry, mom. My mother really loved it. Yeah, a lot. As a kid. It was like one of her favorite things that I did. Her favorite thing that I did. And it kind of became this thing of, oh, why am I still doing this? I was like, I don't love it.

Grant Alexander 00:18:05
Get joy out of it. Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:06
I'm like, I like it. I don't love it. Why am I trying to even pursue. I tried to pursue it for a.

Grant Alexander 00:18:12
Second, but at this point, though, after stopping now, are you like, crap. I wish I was still that good because it would have killed for this.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:20
Opportunity or yes and no. It. Cuz it's like, it doesn't feel like it's gone. Maybe if that. If it was gone, I'd be like, shit, what did I do?

Grant Alexander 00:18:30
I feel like you probably like, pick it up.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:32
That's what I mean.

Grant Alexander 00:18:33
Something like really, really basic and people like, oh my God.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:38
Like, I still like, God, I picked up the other day and I like, I know where all the fingers go. Like, I can still play it. I could still rip it up a little bit.

Grant Alexander 00:18:44
There you go.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:44
So it's like, it doesn't feel like it's gone. And I don't regret it cuz I would. I would regret it if I let go of it and I didn't do anything.

Grant Alexander 00:18:50
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:50
And I was like, that was my thing.

Grant Alexander 00:18:52
That was it.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:18:53
But I picked up something that genuinely feels it's the only thing that I picked up in my life. Comedy that feels like it's what I need to be doing. Without a question.

Grant Alexander 00:19:05
Cool.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:19:06
Like, I've never had a doubt in my mind about Santa comedy. I've never been like, what's plan b? I've never been like, what if that doesn't work? I've never said, maybe I don't. Maybe. What am I doing? Am I wasting my time? Like, even when I was wasting my time, I wasn't, you know what I mean? Even when I was doing those terrible open mics and not getting booked for months and none of it felt like a waste of time and I was like, this is part of it. This is all part of the process.

Grant Alexander 00:19:29
Do you think that drive and passion for it and knowing that's the thing made you just more confident in your delivery, made your sets better? Or do you think, did that give you the drive to be like, I need to reach out to 20 people so I know that I'm on stage and I'm doing. It's kind of like the work side of it. Or is it the attitude side of it that came.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:19:49
The work came later by naturally, by itself. Like, learning to, like, reach out to people respectfully and not being annoying. So I definitely did an annoying way and I would get called out being like, don't do it like that.

Grant Alexander 00:19:59
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:20:00
Like, you know, people start to not like you. The older people in the scene are like, what is this kid doing? And then you, like, you have to just, you have to make those mistakes. Cause there's no. Unfortunately, they haven't made a rulebook for being a stand up comedian.

Grant Alexander 00:20:13
You can do that?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:20:14
Yeah, there's no, there's no.

Grant Alexander 00:20:17
Think of how many aspiring comedians there are.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:20:22
But it's like, it's one of those things where it's hard to cause there's no one started the same way other than going to the. That's the only thing every comedian has in common. Every comedian went to an open mic and put their name in a half, but then from there, it's just like, it's a launch pad. It goes so many different directions, you don't know where you're going. And for me, oh, no.

Grant Alexander 00:20:44
Launchpad.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:20:44
Launchpad. Yeah, it was a launchpad. Into your own thing. And like I said, I started to learn how to reach out to people in a respectful way. That all came, but like I said, it all just kind of felt like the process. So I was never in a rush to get there. And it's one of those things where you can't learn it from a book. You have to just do it, and you have to make the mistakes, and you have to be an ass and learn to not be an ass. You have to get checked by people. And I'm still getting checked. I'm still making mistakes.

Grant Alexander 00:21:15
And you're 23?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:21:16
Yeah, I'm 23 years old. I'm gonna be doing, not like it's.

Grant Alexander 00:21:18
An excuse, but it's just from an experienced perspective. I mean, I feel like most stand ups don't make it until later, way later on, in their late thirties, forties and beyond, like, that's when they start to make it. I feel like you have plenty of time. I mean, obviously, let's, you know, try to reign in some of that energy. Of course you have time to make those mistakes. That's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:21:42
Yeah. Yeah. So I like it. I like the journey. I like the ride of it. And, yeah, it's all very exciting.

Grant Alexander 00:21:48
So given your age and how long you've been doing this, I feel like I've been a fan of comedy for longer, and there's definitely been a shift in comedy, and maybe this is something you study in school. I'm sure you're aware of it, but I feel like really, over the last few years, crowd work has become such a big part of comedy. Do you think that helps or hurts comedy and comedians? What do you think about it? Because I know I've talked with a few that think it's great because it suits them well. But one I had a conversation with thought it took away from the writing and the comedy because you're so hyper focused on nailing that social media clip to get your name out there. It's like, what do you think about that? And then we're going to get into, how do you balance? I just thought of this question. How do you balance like those, you have to get your name out there. You want stuff on social media that's going to go viral so you can book more and so you can continue doing your thing. But if that's not your style, if you don't like social media, how do you balance those things?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:23:03
Well, I disagree with the people that say crowd work is ruining the art of comedy. What I will say it has done, it has changed the public opinion, the generic public opinion on stand up comedy. A lot of people go to stand up comedy shows now because they saw it on their algorithm. Cause they saw it on Instagram, they saw it on TikTok, which is bringing in a whole new demographic into standup. Standup is in a huge boom right now. Stand up is bigger now than it's ever been, and maybe since, like, the eighties or nineties, but since, like, Carson and all that stuff, but it's bringing in this new young demographic, people who are 21, 22, 25, going out to comedy shows and being like, oh, I saw this Matt rife doing crowd work, or anyone on stage doing crowd work, they're like, oh, I hope the comedian picks on me. Maybe I'll say something to interrupt the comedian. So they pick on me, and that's the negative effects of it.

Grant Alexander 00:24:01
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:24:02
From the comedian's perspective, I think crowd work is important. I think if you're on stage for a long period of time, it's necessary, and I think it's engaging, and I think it's fun for both parties. Another thing is, I don't think it should be your intent. This is, I can't speak for other. For me, I try not to make it my intent, and I try not to make it my goal to do crowd work. When I go on stage, it only comes naturally. I have an act. I have my jokes. I know how much time I have on stage. If I do crowd work, that means it's coming out of my time, which means it's coming out of the pool of jokes I had prepared for the act. So I'm constantly editing on stage, live. I go on stage. I'm not like, okay, three and a half minutes in, I'm gonna ask that guy what he does for me.

Grant Alexander 00:24:48
Right?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:24:48
It's like, it's.

Grant Alexander 00:24:49
No, that's interesting. Thinking of it from, like, a zero sum game where it's like saying one thing takes away.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:24:54
Totally. You're sacrificing your time. Yeah, when I do it and you're risking your time, because sometimes groundwork doesn't work.

Grant Alexander 00:25:02
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:25:02
And sometimes it works, and when it works, it's great.

Grant Alexander 00:25:05
What happens when it doesn't work?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:25:06
It's just awkward for a second, but then, you know, skip back. If you're a professional, you just, you have some sort of stock line that can pull you out of that, where it's like, well, we're not gonna be conversing today, and we'll get right back into the act or something like that. And so, yeah, when I go on stage, I go on stage. I know what jokes I'm gonna say, but you have to read the room. So if I go on stage and I'm like, oh, you know, the comic before me didn't do great. These guys aren't locked in. I'm gonna, they're not wanting material. Sometimes you go on stage knowing that the audience doesn't want to hear your material. So you have to go on stage and immediately make fun of the guy with the tight shirt in the front row, and you bully him a little bit, but it gets a little laugh. Everyone's on the same page. He's laughing while laughing. We're having a good time. And then you find some sort of natural flow into your act. Or if something happens in the audience during the act before yours, you call that back. In the beginning, you start your act with a laugh based off something that happened in the room, which shows that you're present. You've been here, I'm here, you're here. Let's stay together.

Grant Alexander 00:26:10
Realize how much strategy seems to go into each act. Like, I've always thought, it's like, here's your script here. Here are your jokes. You do them exactly. It really sounds strategic, like, real time. You're editing this in your head.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:26:24
Totally like that.

Grant Alexander 00:26:25
It's part of quick wit. Like, the best comics have a quick wit and are able to do crowd work, you would hope, at least. But that's interesting, like, thinking of it from that strategic perspective.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:26:36
Totally. And the other thing is, like, you have to be so present on stage, and you can, and everyone can tell if you're not sure. Everyone can tell if you're like, hi, here are the jokes that I wrote my cat the other day. It's like, we know you're doing an act, right? Your goal as a comedian is to convince the audience that this is your first time telling these jokes. That's your goal. You want to make it sound like everything's just coming out of you naturally. I'm just naturally hilarious, and I just happen to have these constructed jokes at the top of my head. No, I've done these jokes 100,000 times. Okay. It's a magic trick. It really is. It's a magic trick of me trying to convince 250 people that I've never told these jokes before and they're all naturally in the moment just coming out of what's happening in the room.

Grant Alexander 00:27:19
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:27:19
You go, you see a couple on stage. How long you guys been together? Great. How'd you guys meet? Hinge. I have a joke about hinge. We'll do the joke about hinge right now. That's what I mean when I say I don't have an order or I'm always like, where are you from? Oh, I'm from Morocco. I'm tunisian. Here's my tunisian material. Who you with? My mom. I got material, but my mom, like, so I like to do that. I like to use the audience as navigation through my act, and that will naturally lead to crowd work. If I hear someone sneeze saying bless you is gonna get a laugh, and then you. Okay, we're good. Okay. We can.

Grant Alexander 00:27:54
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:27:54
You know what I mean? Like, little, like, if you can just stay completely in the room in the moment, it'll unlock such a different kind of performance because basically, you want to get to a point where your material is autopilot. I don't need to think about my material. I wrote it. I came up with it. I know what it is. It's not written down on paper, so there's no structure to it. There's no, like, it has to go like this. Some comedians are like that, and it works for them. Seinfeld, he's to the point. He has every word written on a piece of paper. There's not a single comma that hasn't been pre written. Mine is like, I'm just kind of mumbling, jumbling. I know where the punchline is. I can get there. I've done it a million times. I don't even need to think about the joke. Instead, I'm thinking about what's going on in the room. So the jokes are coming from the back of my head. The front of my head's like, oh, what's going on? What's going on? Oh, what happened over here? That's funny. Let me tie that into this material, and it creates this organic flow. Now, sometimes I'm an ADHD freak, so sometimes that doesn't work, and I spiral and I'm like, and then your jokes go out of the, out of the, in the back of your head, and you're gone and you mess up. So there's definitely a risk to be right. So it's definitely some sort of risk to being so nonchalant on stage, but there's way more of a reward.

Grant Alexander 00:29:16
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:29:16
And, yeah, the risk reward is very much worth it.

Grant Alexander 00:29:19
So that's been. There's been a lot of, like, the success and the strategy, which is fascinating to me. What about when stuff doesn't land or it land with a bunch of people, but some shitheads on social media, like, you're the worst, you're not funny, and, you know, people telling you you're not funny or your stuff sucks or why would you say something like that with, you know, the temperature of comedy at times? How do you deal with that? And I'm guessing some of it probably comes from the, you know, this is what you're doing, so you're doing it, and you do make plenty of people laugh, and you're there for them. But, like, how do you deal with it? Does it impact you at all? Like, what would you tell aspiring comedians that are, like, in it? Like, doing the open mics that you talked about early on? How do I get through that crap?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:30:15
They're right. Yeah. Anybody that says something shitty to you on social media or anyone that doesn't agree with you or doesn't think you're funny, they're right. They're right. They can't be wrong. It's their opinion.

Grant Alexander 00:30:29
Their opinion. Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:30:29
So how can you argue that they're right? But also, the people that think that leave being like, you're my favorite comedian. That was so funny. I'm coming back. Or, you know, you get. They're right.

Grant Alexander 00:30:38
So does it hurt your feelings when they're right? Okay. You're just like, it doesn't. You're not for me.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:30:42
I can't care.

Grant Alexander 00:30:44
Right?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:30:44
How. How can I care?

Grant Alexander 00:30:45
I feel like at some point, there had to be a comment or someone that was like, you suck. That got you a little bit.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:30:53
Sure, sure. Yes, yes, sure. There's definitely been. Things have been said in the past, but it's more people who, you know, if you have someone that, you know, who personally who has something like that to say that stingers a little bit, you go, oh, what a shame. But then you go, you're right. What am I going to tell you wrong? But then you got to remember, for me, I remember who I'm doing it for. Who am I doing stand up for? When I started doing standup when I was 15 years old in my dad's living room, little kid filled with hope and life and happiness.

Grant Alexander 00:31:34
Same now.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:31:34
Dreams, of course, of course. And excitement and energy and no negativity. And I saw the world with sunshine and rainbows and goldfish and gummies and everything is happy. Yippee. Yippee, yuppie. Was I thinking, what's user 156,000 going to say? What is that? What is that guy in North Carolina with a profile picture with him and a dead duck?

Grant Alexander 00:31:57
What are you going with that one?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:32:02
What is he going to think? What? I don't care. I look back, I go, who do I care about? I care about my immediate circle. My friends, my friends that give me opinions on comedy. I care about my mom. My mom watches everything I do. My dad. Those are the people I'm trying to impress the most in my life. Before they die, I want to do something that they can sit in the front row and see the dreams that they watched from the ground up. I'm there for my best friends back at home who root for me every single day. I'm there for the comedy clubs that have given me opportunity every single day. I'm there for the people online who tell me that they look forward to my videos. Those are the people I'm doing it for. And that is enough love and drive and excitement and thrilled to just. You can't care about what's over here. There's no comedian in the world that every single person's like, yeah, for sure. It's impossible. It's such a subjective art form. Music is a little different where music, it's like you can kind of hear something and go, right, yikes. Right, right.

Grant Alexander 00:33:00
There are good songwriters.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:33:01
Of course. There's good songwriters, there's bad songwriters. And that is a little. It's still subjective, but it's a little less. Comedy is a personal. It's a personal, very personal thing. And not saying music isn't, but it's like, it's such an easier thing to judge is to watch someone and go, that's so you're not relying on. It's also not something you can practice. You can't practice doing standup comedy. The only way to practice doing stand up comedy is by doing stand up comedy. I can't take a microphone in my room and do my act. Sure I can, but it's not gonna do anything. But you could bring a guitar in your room and master it, and then once you master it and take it onto the stage, but you gotta learn to master it in front of strangers who are ready to judge you and hard. Judge you hard.

Grant Alexander 00:33:44
So hard.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:33:45
Literally, you walk on stage 200 people going, go ahead.

Grant Alexander 00:33:48
Oh, yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:33:48
What do you got?

Grant Alexander 00:33:49
Oh, yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:33:50
And that can get scary. But it also conditions you to be, like, focus on the people that are rooting for you.

Grant Alexander 00:33:55
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:33:56
And if you do that, the hater, the people that hate don't.

Grant Alexander 00:33:58
That's always resonated with me. There was a book I read early in my entrepreneur days. This is marketing by Seth Godin. And basically, the premise is you should be creating whatever you're doing. Make the best version of it for the people that care the absolute most, and don't worry about the rest. Like, don't try to get everybody to love it. Don't worry about it. Don't make stuff for everybody. But if you make your best product, your best thing for those that love it and want it the most, that's what's going to spread. And he had some fascinating stats. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was right around the time where game of Thrones was. I thought blowing up everywhere, it was the biggest thing happening. And then he provided the actual numbers of how many people watched it. It was like a 6% of the US. What?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:34:58
I haven't watched it.

Grant Alexander 00:34:59
It blew my mind. And there were a bunch of those stats. But for those that are in that Game of Thrones world, it's everything. And they made a ton of money and, you know, had spin offs and everything that came because of that and them focusing on those that live and breathe Game of Thrones, I thought that was so interesting.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:35:21
It's super fascinating. And it's the kind of thing where, like I said, one of my favorite things to do after a comedy show is to go in the lobby. If it goes, well, if it doesn't go, I'm going out the back door. Running? Yeah, running home and now biking.

Grant Alexander 00:35:36
You just got a new bike.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:35:37
Yeah, I'll leave the bike tomorrow. I got to get out of there stat. I can't unlock the bike in front. All these people. So embarrassing. Meeting people and putting a face to the laugh is my favorite thing to do. And shaking a hand.

Grant Alexander 00:35:49
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:35:50
And then looking at me and being like, that was really fun. Thank you so much. And then I go, that's all you need, right?

Grant Alexander 00:35:57
These are your people that keeps going.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:35:59
And maybe they don't come back. Maybe you never see them again. But you know that this random person liked your. Liked your stuff.

Grant Alexander 00:36:04
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:36:05
Which means you have something you do remember, too.

Grant Alexander 00:36:07
Like, you'll remember that. You won't remember the guy that didn't come up. Shake your hand exactly. Didn't laugh.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:36:12
Exactly.

Grant Alexander 00:36:12
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:36:13
The faces I remember the most aren't the people that walked out and gave me a glare. It's the people that stopped and what's your name?

Grant Alexander 00:36:19
Right.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:36:19
Where can I see you again? And those are the people that you genuinely. It feels like family. You're just excited to see them. You're like, thank you for being here. That was for you, in a way.

Grant Alexander 00:36:29
What do you think it is about your stage presence or energy that does connect with people and gets them to come up and shake the hand? Is it the kindness that we talked about? Is it the strategy and nailing the set? You know, like, is there. Because this boils down to the style of how you deliver it and the style of you as a person. How. How can you, like, definitively say, like, you're connecting with somebody through this style?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:36:57
I think it's the. The energy. Like I said, I bring a lot of energy, and I try to channel my mom's. My mom works with a lot of different people. And when people walk into her store, she's a fashion, like, merchant. When people walk in her boutique, she's like, hi, so good to see you. And, like, you know, she's.

Grant Alexander 00:37:20
I hope she does that every day.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:37:22
A lot of people. And she's just excited to see people. And that excitement is something that most people aren't used to from a stranger. How often do you go up to a stranger and they go, hi. You don't ever see it. So when you come on stage and you're genuinely excited, it's not like I'm putting it on. I'm genuinely excited to see these people, and they can feel that. And I can feel them feeling it. And then it's like, this guy's happy to be here. This guy's happy to be in front of us, so we're happy to listen.

Grant Alexander 00:37:53
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:37:54
And then if it goes well, then it's like, this guy's happy to be here, this guy's happy to see us, we're happy to listen, and it was fun.

Grant Alexander 00:38:01
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:38:01
Why wouldn't we want to meet? Yeah, let's go. That's like having a really good date. Like, a great date. And then being like, never call me again.

Grant Alexander 00:38:08
Right.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:38:08
It's like, it's not gonna happen.

Grant Alexander 00:38:09
It's not gonna happen.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:38:10
You're gonna. You're gonna wanna see each other again.

Grant Alexander 00:38:12
The energy that's been. Been one of my big things that I live and die by its positivity, energy and the kindness. But energy has, like, being willing to like, a second of courage to do something different. The one thing that you've mentioned, a surprise. The one thing that is one of my favorite things. I'm the type that, like, if somebody's on a bench at Millennium park, I've done this numerous times. So if you happen to be sitting alone on a bench eating ice cream or doing whatever, I'm probably gonna come up to you if I'm there and I'll start talking for a while and just have, I'll say ridiculous things, do ridiculous things. But one of my favorites, there was a woman that was taking pictures right in front of the bean, and she was a little ways off, so that when she went like this, she was like, holding the bean, but her arms routes will just spread out. Wine. I walk up and I just give her the biggest bear hug. And she was so confused. And I'm like, oh, my God, am I gonna get arrested?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:39:17
Yeah.

Grant Alexander 00:39:17
But moments later, we all started cracking. Like, everybody around just started cracking up.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:39:22
See, if I did that, people would go, what is this arab grabbing me for? Am I a hostage? What is going on? But, yeah, people enjoy a strange interaction in a way.

Grant Alexander 00:39:37
Yeah, absolutely.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:39:39
Something they won't forget.

Grant Alexander 00:39:40
Exactly. They will always remember that. She will always remember, next time she's in Millennium park, she will be on the lookout.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:39:46
She'll be on the lookout. She'll be like, oh, God, he's gonna hug me again. But, yeah, connection with a stranger is a special thing, and, yeah, I think it's something everyone looks forward to.

Grant Alexander 00:39:59
Comedy is not just entirely about laughs. It's like, it's the vibe of getting people to feel better, leave their crap at home, and just experience something kind of different and to embrace some value or feeling that you gave them. Like, how do you, or do you try to inspire people to do more? Or is it just a, you just want people to feel happy and, you know, just glad to be there in that moment, you talked about presence. So do you try to get people to feel a certain way? Do you want them to go out and do something like, be kind to your, be kind to your friends and neighbors type of thing?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:40:41
I don't care what they do once they leave the comedy club. But what I do care about is when I walk into comedy club, I don't think, oh, I'm gonna go, and then we make their day. I'm gonna make them forget about their dead dog and their mortgage. That's my goal. I go in there and I go, I know what I like. I know what I want to do in there. I want to go have fun. I want them to have fun. Let's do that. And if I can just lock into that moment.

Grant Alexander 00:41:10
Mmm.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:41:11
Everything will happen naturally. Like, I'm never on stage being like, these people are having fun in the back of my head. I'm not. I'm never going, I'm in the moment, right? I'm in the moment, and I'm in the moment, and they're in the moment. And you don't realize that until after the set, when reality comes rushing back to you. Because when I'm up there, nothing. I'm not thinking about anything else. I'm not thinking about my rent. I'm not thinking about the tickets in my car. I'm not thinking about my credit card bill. I'm not thinking about what I need to get from the grocery store. I'm thinking about what I'm going to say next in this microphone that is on videotape. Oh, no, no.

Grant Alexander 00:41:49
And that makes a lot of sense. Like, based on what you were saying, again, I didn't think of it from a strategic perspective or that zero sum game, but if you're in it like that, you have to be that focused. And I guess that's a great goal of if you're having fun other people have. And then all the problems disappear for a second.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:42:08
For a second. And then you get off stage, and like I said, everything comes rushing back in. And then. And then the show's over, and the lights turn back on, and people are walking out of the lobby, and they got a little smile on them. No one ever leaves a comedy show unless it was a bad comedy show. It was a good comedy show. People are leaving a little smile on their face. They go, thank you so much. I go, thank you. And it feels like we took a break for an hour just to. First, we just took a little break from everything, and now we're parting ways to go back into the world. We go, see you later. Thanks for coming by. And I hope that that joy or whatever they got, whatever they got out of this, the drunkenness, the buzz, you know, they drank, they ate. I just hope whatever they got from the comedy club that night follows them home a little bit. I don't know what they're gonna do with it. I just hope they don't like, you know, just go do something.

Grant Alexander 00:42:57
Do you see social media as a way for them to continue connecting with them, or is social media for comedians or for you, a tool and means for promotion?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:43:10
Both, for sure. For promotion, I mean, but also it's an. It's a way to connect with the comedian and the audience on a deeper level. I love getting messages after the show. Like, I'm sure I go in my inbox, and it's like, hey, great show tonight. Thank you so much. When can I see you again? And I go, hey, here's my schedule. I'd love to see you again. So there's definitely that connection aspect that you get outside the club, but then there's the promotion. When I post a clip, I posted a clip for the people that can't beat the show, who I care about. That's what I'm thinking about. I go, oh, my friends are going to see this. Oh, my mom's gonna see this. Oh, my dad's gonna see this. My family's gonna see this. But I go, then everyone else is gonna see it. I don't really care as much about what everyone else has to say about it. I hope it brings people to a show. Yeah, but when I initially post something, it's for the people that I personally care for who can't see it. I go, hey, here's what I did tonight. And that's when I started. When I started my social media, that's what it was for. Now my social media has grown a little bit, so, you know, I have a little bit more of a public eye on my stuff. And it's cool. I mean, it's great, whatever. There's definitely a little bit more pressure, but, yeah, you post it to, you know, you want people to come to a show. You want to build that followers you want. When you. Even if it's just because I'm not in a place where, you know, I'm pulling my own crowds everywhere I go, but when I do have someone come to a show that's there to see me because they found me online, that's cool. And then you get to meet them in person. It is a cool feeling. I don't care if it's one person a show, five people a show. Sometimes it's a lot more.

Grant Alexander 00:44:31
That's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:44:32
But the times where it's just randomly, like, so I'll get a message, like, hey, I'm coming to your show at laugh factory tonight. It's like, oh, cool. And then afterwards, they're like, thanks for the tickets. I messaged you earlier, and I'm like.

Grant Alexander 00:44:42
This is super cool. Yeah, that's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:44:44
Like, this random person just happened to find me in their living room, and they're like, let's go see this person.

Grant Alexander 00:44:48
So does the pressure from your growing social media and just kind of social media in general and, like, the expectations to continually be posting, do you feel that ever changes you or changes your strategy at all? Not from the joke perspective, like how much you have to do something? Are there certain things that just hit way better on social media? You know, like what? What pressure? What does the pressure do to make you either conform or stick to yourself?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:45:15
I would have a completely different answer for you if you asked me this question two months ago.

Grant Alexander 00:45:18
Oh, okay. I want to hear both answers.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:45:20
So if you ask me this in May or June of this year, I would have said yes. The pressure is definitely getting bigger, and now there's this expectation, and now I have this platform, so people are expecting me to use my platform for good and to share my voice on things and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's what did my answer. Then the summer, I started to feel a little overwhelmed by that because my platform really started to grow the most in May of this year. So I started to feel that pressure a little bit, and then I started seeing myself working for my social media, not my social media working for me. My social media is meant to be a tool to help me, not the other way around where it's like, oh, I need to help social media.

Grant Alexander 00:46:04
What made you realize that?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:46:05
I just started to feel really overwhelmed, and my subconsciously, my purpose started to feel like, oh, I gotta get. I gotta do my stand up to get this. I gotta get more footage out. I gotta do more editing. I gotta. And then I was like, and then I started to dread it a little bit. For the first time ever, I started to dread doing stand up a little bit. Well, I was like, well, that's not why I started all of this at all. I just got a little taste of, you know, acceptance from the public eye, and it made me chase that a little bit, and it made me go, ooh, let me get more of that. Ooh, let me get more of that. It's like a drug.

Grant Alexander 00:46:38
So you are getting more of that, though. Are you worried or concerned, or have you, like, thought about what happens when you do blow up and you're everywhere? And does that worry you, or has this shift that's happened in the last two months set you free?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:46:55
I think I'm a completely different mindset. I went camping for 30 days.

Grant Alexander 00:47:00
Where to?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:47:02
California. I did a road trip with my three best friends, and we all wanted to we do a trip every summer, but this summer, it was kind of like we all had four different. We had four people going on this trip for four different reasons. We all had personal reasons for wanting to be on this trip. Some people, it was a sense of adventure. Some people, it was a sense of wanting a break. Some people, it was a sense of wanting to collect these stories and things and experiences. And for me, it was for growth and to disconnect. I felt so connected. Too connected.

Grant Alexander 00:47:36
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:47:36
Into the world, as in social media. I felt too plugged into everything. I felt like I was in 25 different places at once because I'm here with this. I'm here with this person. I'm texting this person while planning this, knowing that I have to do that.

Grant Alexander 00:47:48
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:47:48
Whoa.

Grant Alexander 00:47:49
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:47:49
It was too much. It was way too much. At one point where June of this year, I was like. It literally felt like. Like I said, I'd be hanging out with a person, knowing what I had to do later. While I'm hanging out with that person, I'm texting this person. But the thing I need to do tomorrow while also thinking about what I'm gonna say tonight at that show, I wasn't in the moment ever.

Grant Alexander 00:48:06
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:48:07
I never found myself being in the moment. Even though I have house parties, I'd be in the kitchen being like, what's going on in the living room? What's going on in the kitchen? Let me go walk around. Let me go check what's good. I could not find myself locking into the moment anymore like I did when I was first starting stand up. So I knew I had to go on this trip. One of the trip turned my phone off. I didn't use my phone. Really? Everything. My screen time was, like under half an hour every day.

Grant Alexander 00:48:27
How did that feel?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:48:28
Amazing.

Grant Alexander 00:48:29
Amazing.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:48:29
Amazing. And. And you're with your four best friends or three best friends. Four total. And you're in the woods, and you're in nature. And I caught myself accidentally being in the moment without even doing anything. I just found myself looking around, taking something in, laughing, and not thinking about anything else. And that feeling of emptiness in a good way, a positive emptiness of, like, oh, I'm feeling. I feel empty inside because everything I have is right now. So there's nothing else. I'm not thinking about what I'm going to do after this. I'm not thinking about where I need to be tonight. I'm not thinking about who I need to call in an hour. I'm purely thinking about right now. And it gave me a whole new view on life and a whole new excitement and a whole new mindset of I'm so young. I don't need to chase anything. Nothing I've done to this point that success came from, came from me chasing anything. It came from me doing something my way, naturally, and everything just happening for itself. Posting a clip that I was like, that's kind of funny. And then it going mega viral. I didn't think about that. I didn't think, oh, I need to overanalyze how we're gonna make this far. No, I just was doing my thing, and everything came naturally.

Grant Alexander 00:49:47
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:49:47
So I started thinking about that, reflecting on that. Also, I cared way too much about people in a way of, like, what people were thinking about me. Like, I know, like, you know, you try not to care, but in the back of your head, you know, you're still, like, you walk in a room, you go, what are these people thinking? Definitely yada, yada, yada. And then this trip completely wiped all of that. And this trip taught me to just be there and be good. Be good to people around you. Do the things that you love, be in the moment, enjoy that laugh, enjoy that beer until it's completely gone.

Grant Alexander 00:50:20
Hell, yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:50:21
Don't worry about your next beer. Don't worry about, you know, where you're biking to. Worry about that bike ride. Have fun on that bike ride. Like, the whole way here, it was a completely different feeling than if I was biking here two months ago. I would have been like, I'm gonna be late. Where am I going? It just kind of felt like I was looking at people, smiling. I was watching couples. I was watching the cars pass. I was like, oh, that's a nice cardinal, being in the moment and, like, fully absorbing. That has completely changed the way I'm thinking about everything. So I don't feel that pressure from social media anymore. Cause now I'm like, it's there. The following is there. I have a decent following on social media. I'm gonna keep posting. If you don't like how little I post, or if I'm not posting a cliff every week, or, oh, here's a photo of me camping instead of me on stage. If you don't like that too much, that's okay. You don't have to be here, right? Go. Just go. That's totally fine. I don't feel pressure to have to serve. I feel like if I'm on my authentic self, I will get my authentic crowd.

Grant Alexander 00:51:20
Yeah, that's awesome. That's an incredible style. And to have that kind of wisdom and the wherewithal to realize all of this at 23 is insane. And you know, like, just sets you up. It's like, how are you going to going to use this to evolve your style? Or does your style just stay similar and you just hone in the art of what you're currently doing, or do you see it evolving as you continue?

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:51:50
I was like, it's a big transition period in my life. So right now, I walk in and I repeat certain words to myself in my head. I hear my mom's voice in my head going, don't give everyone your hundred percent. Keep your head down a little bit. Humility. Stay humble. Stay positive. Stay kind, stay funny.

Grant Alexander 00:52:15
Stay funny.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:52:15
And I know if I walk into a comedy club with that, I walk around. I'm kind to people. I'm nice to people. I go on stage, I do my job, I do it well. I come off stage and I just, I'm kind of just there in a more chill, less aggressive manner. I used to walk in and be like, hi, everyone. How are you? What's going on? Hey, hey, hey, hey. And now, like, I'm definitely calming down a little bit. I'm aging a little bit. I can feel myself kind of, you know, flowing into myself. I can, I can feel a natural flow picking up and. Yeah, so I think just walking in and going in with the intent of leaving a positive vibe and a good impact on stage is all I'm really chasing right now. I'm not really chasing the success anymore.

Grant Alexander 00:53:01
Cool.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:53:01
I'm more chasing the process.

Grant Alexander 00:53:04
Yeah, that's a great way to go about it. That ultimately is usually what leads to success. People that master what they're doing and enjoying the journey. Yeah, stick true to themselves. You get more out of that, too. As a creator, as an entertainer, you get the most out of that when you're not worrying about the following. It's like, what advice would you give aspiring comedians, entertainers? I feel a lot of it generally falls into entrepreneurs as well. But staying true to yourself, dealing with the objections, when there are a lot of, when there's a lot of pressure, like, what's the best way to get started and to stick true to themselves.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:53:55
Just do it. Every day. Just do it. I literally, I wish I could just go back to 18 year old me who was so stressed out about doing it. How do I do it? Where do I do it? When do I do it? How often do I do it? Just do it. If you just do it and you do it with your heart, you don't really, there's no, you won't have any questions.

Grant Alexander 00:54:16
Action. Just action leads to more action.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:19
Exactly.

Grant Alexander 00:54:19
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:20
I love the word action.

Grant Alexander 00:54:21
It's a great word.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:22
Big action guy.

Grant Alexander 00:54:23
Action. And funny.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:24
Action.

Grant Alexander 00:54:25
Funny. Action.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:25
Funny. Action.

Grant Alexander 00:54:26
Funny. Action.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:26
Yeah. That's like any young comedian I meet who are like, I'm so excited. I'm like, good. That's good. Be excited, and don't not be. If you're not excited anymore, stop and come back.

Grant Alexander 00:54:39
Yeah, don't.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:40
If it ever feels forced, stop, come back.

Grant Alexander 00:54:43
Or switch.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:54:44
Or switch it up. I love taking a break. Like that camping trip, coming back. I'll never forget that feeling of getting back on stage. I came back on a Thursday morning, and I'd show a Thursday night at the comedy store, and it was a sold out show. And I was like, I haven't been on. I went from going on stage almost every night to not performing for a whole month.

Grant Alexander 00:55:01
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:55:01
I was, like, nervous, which was a good thing. I was like, whoa. I've never been never nervous before I go on stage, so it's like, it's healthy. And I just remember going back up and being like, leaving was the best thing I ever did.

Grant Alexander 00:55:14
That's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:55:14
To leave, stand up and come back to it. Cause I was in the moment where I was not excited to walk into a comedy club. I was not excited to be on stage. I was overwhelmed. I was stressed. And so to leave when it's right and then come back when it's right is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Grant Alexander 00:55:29
That's awesome.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:55:30
The people that start to, you know, there's that stigma. Comedians are all miserable and dead inside. It's like, yeah. Cause those comedians went through phases where they hated it and they hated themselves. And instead of working on themselves and working on that, they were like, I'm just gonna go back on stage, bury it.

Grant Alexander 00:55:45
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:55:46
It's like, no, leave. If it's hurting you, leave. It's like a toxic. Comedy can be a toxic relationship.

Grant Alexander 00:55:52
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:55:52
Or it feels abusive, but then you're like, but I love him. It's like, shut up. It doesn't care. Comedy doesn't care about me.

Grant Alexander 00:56:01
Right.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:56:01
Comedy will. If I die tomorrow, you think comedy is gonna come to my funeral? No. Maybe some comedians will.

Grant Alexander 00:56:07
There you go.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:56:07
But it doesn't care. He doesn't need me.

Grant Alexander 00:56:10
I would take a few comedians. Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:56:13
Yeah. In my opinion, comedy doesn't need you, so don't act like you need comedy. You need. You need to be in a good.

Grant Alexander 00:56:19
Feng shui for the listeners that kind of want to embrace their own unique style, whether it's work, life, play, whatever it is. What's the one thing, one piece of advice you would give them to live their authentic, true style today in comedy or in general? In general. Or both. We'll take both. There's some comedian right now, some aspiring comedian that's listening to this, saying, this piece of advice Josh just said, changed my life. No pressure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:57:00
Yeah, no pressure. I guess mine is personal, but mine is. I go back to my mom and dad. They know me better than anybody. And you look at your closest circle and the person they know, those people love you in a way no one else in your life ever will, other than maybe a spouse or a. A new lifelong friend you meet in your twenties and you know them till your eighties, but those people know you so well. So if you ever feel lost, you don't know who you are. Get on the phone with those people, talk. It'll remind you. And I needed that. When I went home and I went on that vacation, those three boys I went on that trip with mean the absolute world to me.

Grant Alexander 00:57:44
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:57:45
Because there wasn't a day that I was around them where I questioned who I was. Because they remind you. They remind you who you are, and they remind you why they love you.

Grant Alexander 00:57:58
Sure.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:57:59
And everybody needs that. Cause it's a lonely world. I mean, it is. You can have a girlfriend, you can have friends, whatever. But as soon as I leave this podcast, I'm alone. I'm gonna walk home alone. I'm gonna bike home, bike Schwinn, and I'm gonna. I'm gonna buy you. I'm gonna be alone.

Grant Alexander 00:58:16
Yeah.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:58:17
I'm not gonna be on my phone. There's not gonna be anyone that knows exactly where I am. And we're totally solo players in this world. So it's so important to remind yourself of your roots, where you come from. And those people love you for who you are. Cause those people knew you before you did, in a way. So looking back at that is what I consistently remind myself of every day. If someone's judging me for something I did, I look back and I think of my mom. Like, why would these people hate me if my mom loves me? And it's like, because these people don't know me, and they're judging you based off of one action, one thing you said, one thing you did, while there's these other people who are judging you for the way you've acted in an average over 23 years. And looking back at those roots and surrounding yourself with that will give you a lot more drive, motivation, and push than you could ever imagine, in my opinion.

Grant Alexander 00:59:11
That is beautiful. Very profound. It sounds like these last two months in that trip, completely life changing. I feel like. I wish I could take a month off, but two daughters and wife makes it a little difficult. But I think there were so many things I learned during this conversation I absolutely loved. I mean, the strategy, the zero sum that, the connecting with your circle. I think that's fantastic advice for everybody living their own authentic style. Thank you so much for being here.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:59:42
Of course, Grant.

Grant Alexander 00:59:43
Hang tight. We're gonna do some bonus footage.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:59:45
Cool.

Grant Alexander 00:59:46
And then bonus footage. Mike, can you switch to the. It went more prompter stuff and I paused so that there was a second to edit.

Josh Ocean Thomas 00:59:56
Cool, cool, cool. Well, that was great. That was fun.

Grant Alexander 01:00:00
And that's not even the.

Josh Ocean Thomas 01:00:02
That's not even the nitty gritty of it.

Grant Alexander 01:00:03
That's not even the next part of the fun. Viewers and listeners, we've had such an amazing and lovely conversation today with Josh Thomas. Talking about the power of style and how it shapes who we are, helps us connect with others and pushes us towards success. Josh's journey is a perfect example of how embracing your authentic self, whether it's in comedy or whatever aspect in life, can lead to amazing things. We're going to continue our conversation with Josh over on Patreon, so don't miss the juicy, potentially salacious topics we have coming up.

Josh Ocean Thomas 01:00:36
Salacious.

Grant Alexander 01:00:37
Salacious. And if you're watching, be sure to subscribe. And if you're listening, be sure to subscribe. That way, next week and every week after, you'll get more inspiring stories and conversations about style, success, and everything in between. Thanks for joining us on House of Style. I'll see you next week. And remember, style isn't in your closet. It's in.