The Myth of The Overnight Success

The Duck Factory.

Excuse me? What the heck is that supposed to mean?

Good question. The Duck Factory was one of the best undiscovered television shows of all time. It debuted in 1984, and starred a quirky, long and lanky young funnyman very few people had ever heard of back then.

I used to watch that show when it first came out and say to myself – “Man, this guy is a comedy genius. How come I never heard of him before?”

Unfortunately, The Duck Factory never found its wings – or its audience. Maybe I was the only one watching. The show barely lasted one season on NBC. It wasn’t until six years later, when In Living Color premiered, that Jim Carrey finally achieved mega-star status.

But Carrey was working hard, developing his craft, and preparing himself for the massive success he knew would someday follow.

That success took years. But Jim Carrey was ready. He had been honing his skills, developing his comedy chops diligently ever since his teenage years in the local comedy clubs.

Jim Carrey’s extraordinary success came after many years of faithful study and application. Obviously, all that hard work paid off with interest.

But imagine if he had become discouraged after The Duck Factory was cancelled … and gone back to his native Canada with his tail feathers tucked between his legs. Like many stars we admire, Jim Carrey was an overnight success that was decades in the making. His success story reminds me of a quote by my great friend, Hollywood stuntman Sammy Maloof: “It’s always too soon to quit.”

@MikeKimmelActor

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