DELRAY BEACH – Comics can toil in near anonymity for years in search of a big break that never comes.
Does the lack of recognition render their efforts worthless? A couple of stories in today’s Stand-Up Spotlight argue that’s not the case. Performing stand-up comedy can teach valuable life skills.
In the first, Justin Vandehey writes in Entrepreneur that, despite never becoming famous, stand-up comedy taught him to read the room, deal with rejection and nail the “punchline” – all of which benefited his entrepreneurial efforts.
In the second, Jess Bauldry explains that performing stand-up comedy gave her confidence, allowed her to develop a thick skin and enhanced her self-awareness.
Most people who attempt stand-up comedy careers will never become famous. That’s a fact. But that doesn’t mean the pursuit is doomed to failure. There’s plenty to learn from five good (or bad) minutes on stage.
Today’s Spotlight also examines what excites Joe Rogan, and highlight’s Pete Davidson’s latest career decision.
Keep learning about the funny, folks.
STAND-UP SPOTLIGHT – June 21, 2023
I Failed as a Stand-up Comic. Here’s How It Made Me a Better Entrepreneur. Here’s what I learned from a failed career in stand-up comedy.
In the middle of a quarter-life crisis, I began evaluating my professional career choices. While working a day job as a sales executive at a very large and successful tech company, I became jaded by corporate jargon, acronyms and daily standups. So, to spite my professional career, I started a personal blog as an attempt to go out on my own and build an audience. The premise for my blog, a.k.a. Justin’s Live, was that every weekend, I’d visit a new restaurant or bar with friends in San Francisco and write up a comedic review of the weekend shenanigans.
My thought was that the reviews would be informative and hilarious. What I learned was that my reviews were in fact useful, as I observed readers cross-posting on their travel blogs; However, no one thought the content, or the producer of the content, was funny or entertaining.
Stand-up comedy as a life skill (Festrogen is back!)
“It was a disaster,” laughs Jess Bauldry, talking about her first-ever time doing comedy on stage. She recounts the material she had, a too-long story (“15 minutes!”) about forgetting to pay for petrol and getting phoned–while on the toilet–by the police. Fortunately, she says, the audience was very polite.
That was many workshops, courses, and gigs ago, however. Bauldry has honed her skills a lot since then, with her two-hander 50 Ways to Leave Your Employer doing a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, after debuting at Festrogen 2022.
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Despite Practicing MMA and Owning a Comedy Club, $120M Worth Joe Rogan Opens Up on His “Constant Process” That He Gets “Excited About”
Joe Rogan has found success in many fields, including martial arts and stand-up comedy. With success comes the need to improve as a performer. The 55-year-old recently mentioned how he continues to flourish in his career in a recent interview on ‘The Oil and Whisky’ podcast.
Most people know Joe Rogan for his role as the color commentator for the UFC. However, he has also been a stand-up comic and martial artist since the 1980s. He has two black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and also has released several successful comedy specials. A couple of them are featured on the popular streaming platform, Netflix.
Pete Davidson resurfaces at North Carolina comedy venue and tests new stand-up show after SNL hosting debut got canceled
Pete Davidson has revisited his career as a stand-up comedian by performing a new set in North Carolina.
Davidson, 29, was supposed to host a recent episode of Saturday Night Live, but his episode was canceled due to the Writers Guild of America strike
Instead, Kim Kardashian’s former flame went to North Carolina and performed at Goodnights Comedy Club.
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