Bill Bellamy opens up about keys to career success

Talented, stylish, and undoubtedly funny, Bill Bellamy has been making audiences laugh since he hit the national stage in the mid-1990s on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, where he coined the phrase “Booty Call.” Following the success of that special, Bellamy became a staple on MTV as one of the network’s first “VJs” hosting several of their programs including MTV Jamz and MTV Beach House.

Since his MTV days, Bellamy has crafted and honed his stand-up comedy by performing all around the country. He brings his act to The Wilbur on January 10.

Bellamy also has transitioned into television and film with starring roles in the FOX action television series Fastlane and as playboy ‘Drayton Jackson’ in the Def Jam film, How to Be a Player. For three seasons, he voiced the puppet ‘Skeeter’ on the Nickelodeon series, Cousin Skeeter.

One of the keys to Bellamy’s career success has been the ability to reinvent himself by tackling new and interesting projects. Earlier this year, he became the official brand ambassador for a new vodka line, Regalia Vodka.

“I’m just trying to continue branding myself in different directions,” Bellamy said of his new role in a phone interview. “So far, it’s been working out pretty cool. I think it’s about cultivating your brand. I think people are familiar with me. It’s been a fun sort of brand and people know I’m synonymous with MTV, with growing up, all that is good about a certain part of their life. Basically how I keep it moving is just to continue to do things that give out that feeling for those people, and create an even younger audience and being in different places.”

Another key to his success is his ability to be versatile in any project he takes on. Bellamy showed his comedic and serious sides in the films Love Jones opposite Larenz Tate and Nia Long and The Brothers starring Shemar Moore, D.L. Hughley and Morris Chestnut. In the Oliver Stone-directed football drama, Any Given Sunday, Bellamy toughened it up as football player Jimmy Jackson.

From 2006 to 2008, the actor and comedian hosted not one but two comedy reality competitions for television. The first was TV One’s Who’s Got Jokes? and the second was NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

All the while, Bellamy continued performing his first love — stand-up comedy — and bringing it to the masses. In May of 2012, he starred and executive produced his second Showtime special, Crazy Sexy Dirty. He followed that up with Bill Bellamy’s Ladies Night Out Comedy Tour, featuring fellow comics Ali Siddiq, J. Reid and D’Lai, which also aired on Showtime in 2013.

He hopes to have a fourth one-hour special out soon.

“I’m working on that whole theme of what my perspective is on this next run. I think Crazy Sexy Dirty was one style of comedy which I thought was fun,” Bellamy said.

In 2014, he headlined The Standing Ovation Tour with Tommy Davidson, Sommore, Marc Curry and Tony Rock. In between comedy tours, Bellamy appeared frequently as a “roundtable” guest on E! Entertainment’s late-night talk show, Chelsea Lately, and had a recurring role as Councilman Powell on TV Land’s, Hot in Cleveland. He also starred in and executive produced the syndicated series, Mr. Box Office, created by Byron Allen.

Up next for the performer is a new role as host of a game show, Let’s Ask America, debuting on the Game Show Network. Bellamy is excited about the prospect of the new show.

“It’s a fun project,” he said. “I’ve never hosted a game show before but it will be interesting to see — it starts in January – what that does with my crowd.”

Bellamy also recently wrapped the feature The Bounce Back, which reunited him with Shemar Moore. It was “instant chemistry” working with Moore again, says the actor.

“We play best friends in the movie. We’re really tight anyway but in the movie we just really ramped it up.”

When asked about the possibility of changing the late-night landscape on television by hosting a talk-show and the idea of approaching Netflix, the comic mentions that it is something that has been on his mind.

“I’m just trying to figure, ‘Do I want to jump in there, and what is the space going to be?’ Is it Netflix? Is it network television? There’s only so many slots.

“The good thing about Netflix is that you could do whatever you want on Netflix. I’m having some meetings with them very shortly as well, and I’m going to see how far we could push the envelope on that side of things.”

The Wilbur presents Bill Bellamy on Saturday, January 10 at 9:45 p.m. Tickets: $22.50-$32; www.ticketmaster.com.