Steven Yeun

Back in 2005, he grabbed his psychology degree from Kalamazoo College—not exactly Hollywood, right? But the twist? Freshman year, he stumbles into a campus improv show by Monkapult, and bam, the acting bug bites hard. Suddenly, he's not just another psych major grinding through classes; he’s hooked on the rush of live comedy, the unscripted chaos, the weird electric energy bouncing around the stage. You can just imagine him ditching whatever study group he had planned, hanging around theater kids instead, soaking up every bit of that offbeat improv world. That first Monkapult show basically changed the whole trajectory for him. It’s wild how one random night can set someone’s life in a completely new direction. Without Kalamazoo’s little improv crew, who knows if he’d ever have chased the spotlight at all? Sometimes, the best stories start with a total accident.

So, imagine you’re hustling in the Chicago improv world—yeah, that wild, unpredictable mess of late-night gigs, endless “yes, ands,” and probably way too much cheap pizza. Seriously, everyone knows the grind. It’s not glamorous. It’s barely a living most days. But here’s the thing: if you manage to land a real job—like, an actual paycheck gig? No one’s jealous. Nobody’s rolling their eyes or talking smack behind your back. People get it. They’re rooting for you, because every win feels like a win for the whole tribe. You might see your buddy’s name on a marquee and think, “Yeah, they made it out.” There’s a weird, beautiful camaraderie in that scene—a sense that if one of you makes it, maybe you all could. The city’s tough, but the community’s tougher, and honestly, that support is half the reason people stick around and keep chasing the next big break.