Jamaica-born actor, comedian, and social media content creator Dale Elliott grew to prominence in the United States as the star of the 2020 Netflix film “Sprinter.”
In November 2019, he emigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica to further pursue his ambitions as an actor.
However, his dreams were temporarily deferred because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elliott says he was broke, couldn’t find work, and his film was yet to be released. To survive his plight, Elliot says he leaned in on his comedic side, and began branding himself across social media platforms.
The Kingstonian created and hosts “The Dale Elliott Podcast,” where he discusses financial literacy and immigration. Elliott also interviews artists and his friends and boasts over a million followers across all his platforms, anchored by 690,000 followers on Instagram.
Dale has also made the foray into standup comedy. “Doing standup comedy and living in L.A., I learned you have to create your own opportunities,” he said. “Nobody necessarily gives you anything.
“So, I wasn’t going to sit and wait on another role. I always try to show different sides to me, whether it’s through comedy, acting, or my educational side. I completed my degree at the University of the West Indies before moving to the U.S.”
Elliott did his first live comedy show in Toronto, where he performed for 250 people. He created his own comedy circuit, and his success progressed more and more with each performance. When he later returned to Toronto, he performed for 1,000 people.
Elliot says he used a portion of his income earned from YouTube to start his own comedy tour. He first pitched his idea to a sponsor and then decided to personally reach out to venues. He targeted the markets most highly populated by his social media followers.
His first show is in Coral Springs, Florida on September 16, 2023. Elliott says this show is special to him because his father, who lives in Coral Springs, and his grandmother, who lives in Jamaica, will be there. The name of his comedy show is ‘The Problem Child’ because Elliott describes himself as the kid parents did not want their kids around when he was growing up.
“Me calling the show ‘The Problem Child ‘walks through my whole journey of how I grew up, where I wanted to be, where I ended up, what I’m currently doing, and what I want for the future,” said Elliott.
