Rocket Science: Joel Jensen

Joel is a writer, director, producer, performer, co-creator of Tiny Hamsters, and co-founder of the ad agency and production company Denizen.

Whose creative work do you really admire?

It’s interesting you ask me that today, because I’ve been thinking a lot actually about Michael Crichton and how important his work was to me when I was a kid, and how important that is to me as an adult.

I wanted to do a report on Michael Crichton as my hero when I was in the eighth grade. The teacher wouldn’t let me do it. He was deemed “not important enough.” I always thought that that was probably one of the worst things that any teacher ever said to me … defining what could or could not be important to me.

That translates really well into the way we think about creative work. We shouldn’t look to someone else to be our arbiter of what’s good enough or is legitimate creative work.

You should march to your own drum if you’re going to get anywhere, and let your heroes be who they are instead of trying to box yourself into somebody else’s evaluation of what’s artistic.

Crichton won’t ever be seen as high literature, but take a step back and see what he accomplished. He’s the only person, I think, to ever to have had the number one movie, the number one TV show, and the number one book all in the same week. That’s pretty unheard of, even today, for one person to be able to do that.

So much of what he did was very concept-driven, right? In my work, I talk a lot about how ideas mean more than stories, for the most part. It’s counter to conventional wisdom, but I think people get way too hung up on the value of the story, especially in our industry. He understood that stories don’t need to be categorized in one medium or another, and that big ideas really matter.

What was the best thing about growing up in Iowa?

Oh, that’s a good question. I would say space, both physically and mentally. The idea that I had a lot of space to sort of be a kid with other kids. I spent most of my time in my friend’s basement making things.

That’s like a real luxury, I think, to be able to have the space and essentially some twiddling-thumbs time to create stuff and let your imagination run. I used to write stories, make movies, write music, sit in my friend’s basement and do prank phone calls, or any number of things because there was nothing else to do.

I think people talk Iowa down a lot, they sort of insult the Midwest as being boring or whatever. I don’t mean to put it in that light at all. Iowa actively gave me space to be creative, and figure out what I thought was interesting and cool and funny with my friends.

You’ve done a lot of improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in L.A., what’s something you tell beginners not to do?

Don’t try too hard. There’s this instinct to goose the material if you’re on stage and not getting a certain laugh-per-minute rate from people. People can tell when you’re trying really hard. They can smell it on you, and it cheapens the laughs that you get. It makes your performance feel very astringent.

Sit and wait, and your audience will wait with you if you’re confident. That’s half of what live comedy is: watching the performer know that they’re going to get you. That’s probably my number one pro tip for beginners. Just let it come, don’t force it.

You’re co-creator of Tiny Hamsters, were there any other species considered for the role?

Ha, no, actually. It was hamsters all the way, for better or worse. I will say that hamsters — we were fairly lucky on this — hamsters are not bright, but they are often not the most difficult to work with.

So, it was always hamsters, but luckily, they’re just smart enough that you can train them to do a couple of things.

When you need inspiration, what do you do?

I usually read, or I watch a movie or TV show. Or watch live comedy. If I need inspiration, I’ll go to whatever input feels right at the time.

It doesn’t even necessarily need to be germane to what I’m trying to think of. If I’m trying to write something comedic, sometimes I go read a ghost story. Or if I’m trying to write something scary, I go to a comedy show. I just need to see what happens when a creator connects with an audience. That will motivate me and kind of get my brain running.

Best Batman villain other than the Joker?

It kind depends on what rubric you’re judging the villain on. In contemporary culture, I would go as far as to say perhaps the Penguin feels like the most relevant villain.

But, I think ultimately if we’re talking about the best foil to Batman, I would go with the Riddler, only because he challenges Batman on a psychological level. Bruce Wayne is a genius detective, right? So it’s gratifying to watch him confront the Riddler because it’s not just about physicality, it’s about an intellectual challenge.

What’s your best experience at a theme park?

I think the best time I ever had was the first time I went to Disneyland in California. I was an adult. I was probably like 25. I thought that I was too cool for it, and I thought that I was like too anti-corporate to enjoy it.

I went and I had … it was like the most wonderful place! Almost more than any other individual ride, the experience of seeing how beautifully-managed and well-run Disneyland is gave me more inner peace than going to a tropical resort. They run such a tight ship. It blew my mind and made me really love Disney.

What’s your superpower at work?

I would say probably my superpower would be taking an idea that’s good and figuring out a way to make it really good. My favorite thing to do is to see ideas that creatives submit, then figure out how I can take what I really like about an idea and evolve it a few steps into something more interesting. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at that over the years.

Long day, don’t want to cook, what’s your go-to for takeout?

I think if I’m really trying to relax, I’m ordering tacos. There’s this place called Guisados in my neighborhood. It has the best tacos in the world. I’ll order a sampler platter and a quesadilla if I’m really bugging out.

The late L.A. food critic Jonathan Gold would approve.

I know, I know. Talk about an inspiration. Jonathan Gold celebrated the fact that high culture food and low culture food could be seen as equally valid. Anthony Bourdain did the same thing.

I just wish that more people in the world could be exposed to Gold’s writing about some weird, great Chinese restaurant in a strip mall in the San Gabriel Valley. It doesn’t have to be fancy and signed off on by the mainstream for it to be really, really good.