Today we’d like to introduce you to David Mervin.
Hi David, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
How I came about being introduced to cosplay and eventually becoming one of the best Captain Jack Sparrow cosplayers in Austin is a long, short story. For those not familiar with cosplay, it is the art of dressing as, impersonating and in my case, acting like a particular character from pop-culture entertainment. It all started in 2008 in Heidelberg, Germany when I was a volunteer chapel youth leader. We took our group of middle schoolers to a pirate camp that year and I wanted to add some extra fun to the event so I created a bunch of pirate garb for the kids to wear. Included in all the stuff was my very first, and very bad, Captain Jack Sparrow outfit. Everything must have a beginning, humble though it may be. Fast forward to 2016 in Austin after almost a year of rebuilding my cosplay and training myself, I emerged on the cosplay scene at Austin Wizard World Comic Con. I looked far better but my attempts to bring the character to life had fallen flat for the months prior. This time however it was different, and my performance for the first time was able to convince the crowd that Jack Sparrow was in their midst, alive, breathing and very drunkenly talking with them. The childlike excitement, love and enthusiasm being shown to me by 50 year old adults, much less little children, was the most intoxicating experience that I have ever had. It lit a fire in me to this day and I told myself that somehow I would find a way to make a living at it. Now, 16 years after I first started cosplay and it is my side business that I am working to build into my full time operation.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It was not a smooth process when I was attempting to get the whole operation off the ground in 2019 but I was gaining some momentum when 2020 hit and everything ground to a complete halt with the advent of covid. For the next couple years it was a huge struggle to start the process all over again. But between all the knowledge you must learn to operate, maintain and move a business forward, both in person and online, while working a full time job is a taxing process to say the least. The hardest thing for me has been not getting too impatient as I gather the funds to buy the equipment that I need to give my online audience the best performance I can. There is a large amount of competition out there as well and I want to be sure to bring my best because that is what my followers / customers deserve and it is what they expect.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am what they call a character cosplayer. In layman terms, I take a character, and bring it to life in the flesh, using a combination of method and character acting. I do the walk, the talk, the hand gestures, everything to animate the character in such a way that will convince your inner 12 years to leap and say, “Jack Sparrow is standing right in front of me!” Over the last eight years I have developed a process I call “Full Immersion Characterization” where the character, in this case Jack, gets out of my car and David stays behind in the vehicle. So when you meet him it will be Jack you are interacting with, not me. Now this is an unusual method for most cosplayers who do everything they can to look like their character but nothing to bring it to life. That is why I always stand out even in a crowd of cosplayers and I have done this so well and for so long that I am commonly referred to as “The Jack of Austin.” This is very humbling because I know of four other very skilled Jack Sparrows in Texas and to be counted among them as one of the five best Jack Sparrow cosplayers in our great state, is a huge honor. Now I am working to gain the same reputation online.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My goal and passion has been to bring my audience, online or in person, enjoyment and to make them feel like they are being invested in and valued, because this life is too much of a burden as it is and as an entertainer my goal is to make life more bearable and even enjoyable for everyone whom I meet. As the great Kurt Russell once said, “And I’m a court jester. That’s what I was born to do.” So if your readers would ever like to hire this humble jester to come out to a party or event of any kind, may they feel free to throw an email in a bottle my way and I’ll make it happen. Also be sure to keep a sharp eye out, for I have new online content and steaming coming soon to a device near you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://linktr.ee/pirate4hirecosplay?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=dd3eed0c-3555-440e-acc6-285b7127af07
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pirate4HireCosplay/
- Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/pirate4hirecosplay?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=dd3eed0c-3555-440e-acc6-285b7127af07
- Twitter: https://x.com/Pirate4HireCos
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pirate4hirecosplay/featured
- Other: https://kick.com/pirate4hirecosplay
Image Credits
-Jeff Cohen -Laura A Farrar -Jess Luttrell -Mary Day Long -Gary Murvin
