Jim Gaffigan - The Creative Coalition

The Wake-Up Call That Changed Everything
A Mother’s Death and the Pursuit of a Dream

*“The pursuit of creative fulfilment was more appealing than living a lie, an unfulfilled lie.”*

Growing up in the shadow of five older siblings who were successful in business produced added pressure for Jim Gaffigan to follow in their footsteps. Ignoring the calling of his heart, he did what was expected of him, attended college and studied finance. But in the wake of his mother’s death, he “felt like the line of thinking [he’d] been taught was broken.” In this episode, Jim explains how he made the shift from working for an advertising company to becoming a multi-award-winning actor and comedian.

Jim Gaffigan is an American standup comedian, actor, writer and producer. His often-observational humor is frequently about fatherhood, laziness, and food. Considered to be a “clean” comic, he uses little profanity in his routines. Jim has had several successful comedy specials, including Mr. Universe, Obsessed, Cinco, and Quality Time, all of which have received Grammy nominations. He is the New York Times bestselling author of two books: a memoir, “Dad Is Fat” and “Food: A Love Story.” He and his wife, actress Jeannie Gaffigan, have collaborated extensively in various creative projects. Together, the couple have five children.

What You’ll Learn from This Episode:

How Covid-19 has benefited Indie projects
The definition of success with which Jim was raised and how it impacted his life
What happened when his college applications were all rejected
How being compliant affected Jim into early adulthood
How the 2008 economic crash impacted him as an actor and comedian
How his line of thinking “broke” when his mother died
The question Jim asked himself to determine if he was prepared to take a huge risk
The exhausting regimen that led him to success with his dreams
What it was like to co-write, produce, direct and star in the semi-autobiographical TV show about himself, his wife and children
How his two books came to be written
The fascinating nightly streaming project from his dinner table that has (so far) raised over $7 million for Covid frontline assistance
The advice he would give himself at 18 years old