Leaving a job as lawyer for State Farm Insurance would be unthinkable. For most people anyway. Fortunately for us, Rex Havens side-hustled as a comedian on weekends and nights for seven years until he was ready to make the jump. He started comedy late in life (mid-thirties). That jump was over two decades ago and…
Aspiring comedians huddle up after a stand-up comedy writing class to ask a variety of questions about pursuing stand-up. From writing and performing to horrible road gigs – we cover a lot of ground! Questions include: Is there a line that you cannot cross in comedy? What was my worst heckling situation? When writing jokes with…
Jeffrey Jena started comedy in … 1978! Were you even born? Ha. I was just 10 years old eating fruit loops in my jammies when Jeffrey Jena first hit the stage. Thirteen years later I worked with him for the first time. And now, some 18 years later, we catch up. Jeffrey is still performing…
With three Comedy Central specials, appearances on Live at Gotham, The Tonight Show, The View, VH1, MTV and becoming a finalist in Last Comic Standing, Luis Ramey has now set his sights on the globe. He performed on a 40 country world tour that took him to Mumbai, Hong Kong, London, Dubai and Johannesburg. His…
Are you trying to emulate your favorite comedians? Have you already determined your comedic style before your third open mic? If so, you may be limiting yourself and shortchanging your potential. In this episode, Dan Swartwout (or “Swarty” as his friends call him) and I discuss how our influences are like training wheels. They help at…
Ever wondered … “should I move to a bigger city for comedy?” Ever struggled with, “Should I go full time?” Keith Alberstadt joins us this week to discuss how he made the jump from an office job to a 24/7 comedy career. Keith makes his comedy relatable and approachable while delivering it in a confident…
Stand-Up Comedian Nate Bargatze is a busy man. His Comedy Central one hour special “Full Time Magic” was a huge success. And the CD went to number one on the Billboard Comedy charts – topping his first CD “Yelled At By A clown” which made it to number two. He makes time to join us…
– Rik Roberts | www.SchoolOfLaughs.com Many aspiring comedians don’t feel welcomed in their own town. The most common complaints are: “I can’t get any spots.” “It’s like a good ol’ boys club.” “They ain’t letting nobody else in.” I hear ya. We’ve covered this topic a little bit in the past. (See: “Cracking the Comedy Clique”)…
Martha Bolton is a joke-writing machine! As a staff writer for Bob Hope for over fifteen years, Martha developed the comedic muscles to crank out an incredible amount of comedy material. Many others including Phyllis Diller, have hired Martha to produce comedy gold. Check out this episode! In this interview, Martha walks us through the…
With the talk of presidential candidates in the air here in the United States, I got to thinking about what I want in a leader. Oddly enough, many traits we identified are also traits of great comedians. Candidates are definitely characters. Comedians are as well. But what are the common links that cross over from…