Wednesday July 31st, 2013 – Milwaukee,
WI
What
is this elusive mystery experience I hear of called ‘sleep’? I haven’t gotten
any in so long I think I’m starting to qualify for zombie status. I had to be
up extra early again this morning, but I’m not complaining. It was for good
reason, so once again I sucked it up and crawled out of bed.
I had to be in Milwaukee by 9am to be on a
TV show called ‘Real Milwaukee’ to help promote The Milwaukee Comedy Festival
which runs this coming weekend. It’s a well run event that was started by a guy
named Matt Kemple eight years ago, and has continued to grow with each year.
It mainly features sketch comedy, but also
has improv and standup. Matt asked me to be a part of it years ago, and I’ve
been there whenever my schedule allows. He’s an outstanding promoter and a
sincere person, so anything I can do to support his and his team’s efforts is
my pleasure.
He could have chosen anyone to be a
representative sampling, but of all the acts he singled me out and that’s a
huge honor. My body clock wasn’t thrilled about it, but it’s not Matt’s fault
I’ve been hitting it extra hard lately. There was no way I would turn down such
a flattering gesture.
It was also nice local exposure for me to be
on a show I’d never been on before. In comedy we often have to show forced
‘loyalty’, so if we work at one club we can’t work another in the same town or
area. On rare occasions I can see the reasoning, but most times it’s playing
petty politics.
I’ve had several appearances on ‘The Morning
Blend’ on WTMJ, and they’ve treated me like a big star every time. The hosts
Molly Fay and Tiffany Ogle couldn’t be sweeter, and they’re both really good at
what they do. Appearing on Real Milwaukee wasn’t meant to be a slap in the
face, and I’m sure they know that. It was just that today I was invited to be
on to promote this event.
Real Milwaukee has four hosts, and the two
who interviewed Matt and me were Katrina Cravy and Cassandra McShepard. They
were both razor sharp and genuinely nice people, and we had a fun segment that
should still be available on the show’s website at www.realmilwaukeenow.com.
It never hurts to make new connections, but
I find it especially satisfying when they’re genuine people. Entertainment can
often be plastic and fake, and I understand how it can get like that. I’m not
one to play those games, but they do exist and those who master them can move
up the ranks.
I’ve had a few experiences where shows I’ve
been on have not had nice hosts, and that can be a chore instead of the fun treat
it should be. This was worth my trip. Just as I felt chemistry on The Morning
Blend with Molly and Tiffany, I felt the same with Katrina and Cassandra. They
get it.
Matt Kemple gets it as well, and that’s why
I’ll go out of my way to help him with anything he should need me to do. He and
his team have put together a fabulous event that keeps on growing, and
hopefully they will keep having me back. I love to be a part of things like
this whenever I am able, as they’re always a win/win proposition. It’s also
great to be able to do it in my home town.
When I started, all that meant anything to
me was getting home town exposure but I could not get the time of day from
local media. I thought it was just me, but as I started to travel I saw that a
lot of other comedians I met have “home town disease” and also felt snubbed. I
guess it’s a part of the process, but I get treated really well now by most of
the Milwaukee media and couldn’t be more grateful. I’ve paid my dues. It’s time
to enjoy membership. www.milwaukeecomedy.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment