6 One of Us
Ponte Vedra Recorder ·August 27, 2015
Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Long Island, New
York. I moved down here to finish up my college at USF in Tampa, and my family moved
from Long Island to Jacksonville shortly thereafter and I followed suit. It was in Jacksonville
where I actually got my start in comedy. I had
only done it once before up in Long Island
when I was 18 and then just wrote a ton of
stuff and then finally committed to it when I
came down to Jacksonville.
What do you like about the area?
I love the relaxed atmosphere, I love the
ability to drive to the beach or downtown
in a matter of 20 minutes rather than sitting
in traffic or this or that and there’s a lot of
opportunity here in Florida for what I do: for
comedy, for writing, for speaking — all that
good stuff. It’s always a quick commute to
wherever you’d like to go.
Tell me about your book.
Everyone’s going to go through a job interview eventually. They’re not necessarily going
to be maybe leaving the company, but a
promotion or maybe it is another company or
a lateral move in their current company. I’ve
met a bunch of people who have put off or
are afraid to do interviews and then months
or years later complain there’s no opportunity
because they’re just so frightened of it — they
don’t know what to say, how to say it. I’ve
facilitated a ton of interviews — countless.
I’ve written interview questions from entry
level to leadership, so I know what they’re
asking and why they’re asking it and better
yet, I know how to respond. What I learned
in stand-up is how to handle high pressure
situations. I’ve done shows in front of four
people and 4,000 people. I can give advice
on how to break the ice and what kind of
things you need to bring to the table to just
make it an easy flowing conversation because
they’re really hiring you — not your resume.
And you have about 10 seconds to win them
over first of all; that first impression is almost
everything.
Danny Johnson is a stand-up guy. No, really — he’s a stand-up comedian
who has seen success through his brand of squeaky-clean comedy routines and has worked
with some well-known legends in comedy including Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Bob Saget
and Richard Lewis, to name a few. Johnson simultaneously found success in the corporate
world working as an operations manager for a large company in Jacksonville while fostering
a successful comedy career. He’s blended the knowledge that he’s learned from both career
paths and written a guide book on how to have a successful job interview.
“The more I can blend from what I’ve learned from comedy and from my experience
in the corporate word, the larger group of people I can help,” Johnson said. Johnson
lives in Ponte Vedra with his wife and two children. His book, You Stink and They Know
It! A practical guide to nailing your next job interview, is available on Amazon. In addition to working as an operations manager, comedian and now author, Johnson also
works as an actor and has done voice over work as well. His next ambition involves
teaching job interviewing skills to groups in an entertaining and informative way.
Tell me about your workshops.
It’s really an extension of what I do oneon-one. I’ve mentored a lot of people through
job interviews, even in smaller groups, and
this book kind of collects all those ideas. I
want to do that on a larger scale — be funny
and make it fun for those who attend.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
My free time is spent with my family. I live
in Nocatee; there’s a lot of amenities there. I
really enjoy the beaches, the Nocatee area,
and writing and reading. I’m constantly creating new material for my show, I’m working on
additional resources for teens for interviews.
My goal is to interview as many companies
that I see hire in that teen area and just share
that insight with the folks who could use it.
For more information about Danny Johnson, visit www.dannyjohnson.com.
— Carrie Resch