Take it from a pro on how to stand out from the competition. Like professional comedian and award winning actor Mark Christopher Lawrence.

Mark Christopher Lawrence (MCL)is the 2012 recipient of the San Diego Critics Circle’s Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Actor Of The Year. He’s an international headliner that has worked with the likes of Sinbad, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, and Jeff Foxworthy as well as, having headlined clubs and colleges all over the USA and Canada.

MCL is best known for his series regular role as Big Mike on the NBC TV series CHUCK. He recently completed production on the hit ADULT SWIM TV show BLACK JESUS and is recurring on The PureFlix Show Malibu Dan The Family Man. He can be seen on the Disney Channel’s original TV movie LifE Is Ruff and guest appearances on Lab Rats, Good Luck Charlie, Heroes, Weeds, My Name Is Earl, Reba, Grounded for Life, Crossing Jordan, and Amazing America with Sarah Palin. MCL is in pre-production on several projects as a writer and/or producer and has just released on PureFlix.com his hilarious talk show Pure Comedy, which he also hosts. On video, you can watch MCL’s work in The Pursuit of Happyness, The Island, Garfield, Terminator II, Fear of a Black Hat, and Cooties to list a few.

Other awards and nominations that MCL has been blessed to achieve are as follows: 

• NAACP Award for Best Ensemble - Glasshouse
• 2010 San Diego Critics Circle Nomination for Best Actor - Boy Willie - Piano Lesson
• 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor of the Year - A Raisin In The Sun/TopDog UnderDog
• 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Nomination for Best Actor - Walter Lee - A Raisin In The Sun
• 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Nomination for Best Actor - Lincoln - TopDog UnderDog

Main takeaways from the episode:

Key Takeaways

• Failures can help you grow. Some people do not start off as great right off the bat while others could get success initially but get failures later on. The point is to learn from this.
• Whether you are doing comedy, public speaking or a presentation, you should always be prepared for what you are talking about. You should practice to a point that you come off as authentic and unscripted to your audience.You need to know your material so well that you can go off on a tangent ans still stay on track. Nothing does well if you are not prepared for it.
• Always learn, watch and grow while you are working with people that are in positions that you want to be in. You can learn from your peer’s achievements and failures.
• Always take time to reflect on your life. Celebrate the wins and achievements that you have made while appreciating the growth. Looking back on where you have been also helps to direct where you want to go in the future.
• Remember to control what you can and let go of what you can’t.
• If you have certain dreams or aspirations that are unfulfilled, you will regret it. Don’t leave them at the table, instead go out and try it. Win or lose, the point is to try.