Born and raised in Seattle, Jared came to New York in 2016 to get his BFA in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Getting his degree at the start of the pandemic, he studied method acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institution, as well as several classes through the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Training Center.

Being multiracial, I get a lot of funny reactions from random people. I don’t exactly look like any race in particular, and even strangers love to make guesses. Annoying? Yeah. Constant to the point that now it’s funny? I think so. Finding the comedy in a story has always been my favorite thing, because that’s what life is to me. I’ve found that following the funny of the situations in my life has led me to deep conversations on race and the way we carry ourselves, a chance to learn about the people behind the guesses (and teach boundaries!), and an opportunity to crack jokes with strangers. Plus it’s fun and sooo easy messing with them.

Basically, I’ve got the charm and the intensity of Black Santa Claus, and the edge and the sex appeal of White Santa Claus, if that makes sense. Does that make sense? See Figure 1 below.