Barry Brewer

Barry Brewer (born Barry Vincent Brewer II) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, musician and motivational speaker. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Brewer began his career as a stand-up comedian in 2002. Originally getting his start performing at local churches, Brewer perfected his craft performing in comedy clubs throughout Chicago. Having moved to Los Angeles in 2004, his early success came from televised comedy competitions such as Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes, on TV One, alongside his peers, Tiffany Haddish and Lil Rel Howery and BET’s Coming to the Stage. Brewer is most recently known for his roles on Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History, on Netflix, and BET’s Games People Play.

Early Life

Brewer was born in Chicago, Illinois to father Barry Vincent Brewer Sr. and mother Kathy Callahan. Brewer was raised primarily by his mother and step-father, Jackie Nash. Brewer has two younger brothers, Lee Brewer and Jason Nash.

Brewer was raised between the church and the streets ^[1]. Growing up in a home where substance abuse was prevalent, Brewer struggled with stability. Throughout his childhood he often changed schools and moved from place to place. Brewer found stability in his grandfather, Big Jim, who picked him up for church every weekend. Monday through Friday Brewer was in charge of helping raise his younger brothers but on the weekends he looked forward to going to church with his extended family. Grandpa Jim provided a positive outlook on life. Not only did he expose him to church, but he also showed him the value of community service and taught him valuable life lessons. After the passing of his grandfather, Brewer struggled as a youth with little guidance. Lacking the presence of consistent positive role models, Brewer sought refuge in the church. It is here that he became a musician.

Brewer started his musical career at an early age. He began singing in the choir at the age of 4, ^[2] playing the drums at age 11 and learning the saxophone at the age of 13. Brewer took to the keys at 17 where he began to learn the piano and organ. Now his primary instruments, Brewer still plays the piano and organ today.

Brewer attended Gage Park High School for three years and graduated from Thornridge High School in 2001. As a student, Brewer played the saxophone for the school band and was given the chance to compete for a full scholarship to play for Grambling State University. However, due to his lack of information on the benefits of a college education as well as not knowing anyone else who attended college, Brewer decided not to pursue the opportunity; a decision he often reflects upon. Brewer attended Olive Harvey Community College in Chicago for one year. In 2004, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry ^[3].

Career

Stand-Up

Brewer began his stand-up career at a church anniversary service in the summer of 2002. After being urged to try comedy by several friends, he performed for the first time at a packed out show and received a standing ovation ^[4]. Brewer has also appeared on multiple televised standup comedy shows.

In 2017, he filmed his debut stand-up comedy special, Chicago I’m Home for a sold out crowd at the Studebaker Theatre, downtown Chicago. Written, produced and directed by Brewer, Chicago I’m Home is a one-hour stand-up comedy special that invites viewers to take a look inside Barry Brewer’s lenses, as he tells his narrative of life growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Brewer discusses his life experiences ranging from growing up in poverty, church, parenting, marriage and life in modern American society. Chicago I’m Home was released in 2019 and is currently available on Amazon Prime and iTunes.

In 2019, Brewer produced a sold out nationwide comedy tour with his counter parts, Big Jah and Minks from “The Whole Crew is Stupid”. The Whole Crew is Stupid is derived from the viral series entitled: “When the Whole Crew Is Stupid”, originally conceived by Jahdai “Bigg Jah” Pickett ^[5]. Originally a viral sketch, “When the Whole Crew Is Stupid” tells the narrative of a group of friends struggling to understand the complexities of the English language. The videos’ success (receiving more than 25 Million views from the entire series) inspired Brewer to produce a national tour. Visiting nearly 20 cities, the tour showcased the group’s comedic talent and converted the internet fan base to an actual physical audience.

Film & Television

In addition to his work as an actor, Brewer has established himself an independent filmmaker. Brewer has written, directed, produced and starred in three short films. Brewer made his directorial debut with The Parking Lot, a 2005 film inspired by his experiences training to break onto the comedic scene in Los Angeles. In this short, Brewer works as a parking lot attendant at one of Los Angeles’s premiere comedy clubs. As a new comer, Brewer works outside the comedy club to get in the club owner’s good graces with the hopes of receiving a chance to, one day, display his comedic talent onstage.

In 2015, Brewer wrote, directed and produced his second short film entitled, The Perfekt Plan starring himself and the late Thomas Mikal Ford ^[6]. The Perfekt Plan tells the story of three friends who borrow a lump sum of money from a local drug lord and forget to pay it back. Given an extremely rushed deadline to make good on the loan, the friends devise a foolproof plan to pay the money back. The Perfect Plan premiered at the 21^stAnnual, S.E. Manly Short Film Festival in Los Angeles. It was also screened at the Indie Night Film Festival where it received recognition by casting director Robi Reed, who later casted Brewer in his first major television role on BET’s Games People Play ^[7]. In 2019, The Perfekt Plan was reproduced and released as a web series entitled, The Perfect Plan .

In 2016, Brewer developed a short that honored his late grandfather, Big Jim. Entitled, Home, this short tells the story of a young boy named Barry who witnesses the many kind acts of his grandfather. Barry's grandfather teaches him the importance of caring for others and the value of community. After Barry's grandfather passes away, Barry stays true to his teachings and eventually runs for office in order to dedicate himself to a life of public service. In 2017, Home was selected by the Chicago Onscreen Local Film Showcase and was screened throughout Chicago as apart of the summer park district series.

In 2019, Brewer was featured in Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History where he played the role of Matthew Henson ^[8], a Harvard educated African American who is credited as first person to reach the North Pole.

Brewer has also appeared on a number of televised stand up comedy competitions and showcase. His material has been featured on networks such as Comedy Central, BET, TruTV and TV One.

Music

In addition to his film and television career, Brewer is also an established songwriter and music producer. His gifts as a music producer brought him to work with the likes of artists such as Brandy, Ray J and Tank. ^[9] Although Brewer does not consider himself to be a musical artist, he has recorded two studio albums. In 2015, Brewer released a solo album entitled, "Dive In" ^[10]. Brewer's second studio album entitled, "Conquer Goliath", is an inspirational album set to be released at the end of 2019.

Influences

Brewer’s main comedic influences are Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Sinbad. ^[11] Growing up, he watched Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show and Def Comedy Jam religiously. Jamie Foxx’s and Chris Tucker's stories of moving to Hollywood to pursue their acting careers were an inspiration to Brewer.

Personal Life

Brewer is married and has 3 children.

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