Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Howard.
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first got into standup when I was 16 years old. It all started when I saw Kevin hart’s special.” Let Me Explain.” I saw someone with my energy represented on the stage and instantly fell in love with the art form. After that moment, I started practicing standup comedy, first in Dallas, then later on in Austin. I performed in any place that gave us the space: lounges, coffee shops, bars. As I got more involved and comfortable with the art, I traveled all around DFW, Austin and San Antonio, doing everything from running my own open mics to doing “popup spots” on random weekdays. I know have started my own comedy show called “Chris Howard’s Comedy Hour” and now have focused on a slight spinoff of the show called “Chris Howard’s Variety Hour” which I produce by UT’ university and features musicians as a different act in the show.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey has been anything but smooth, as is true with anything worth doing! The first few of standup, I was still learning how to be comfortable and trust my own writing so for the first few years, I would go onstage, do an entire 5min set, and not get one laugh. That went on 5-6 times a week for a year or so. After you get comfortable onstage and understand how to write jokes, the marketing aspect of the business comes into play, which is a completely different type of obstacle. Now, instead of the live act, I have to work behind the scenes and convince potential audience members, who have never seen me perform before and have no idea who I am, to come spend money to watch the shows. As we are heading into the first showcases, amassing an audience still remains the struggle and it will be interesting to see how we break ourselves into the market.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I perform standup comedy. I get onstage and express my life experiences/thoughts through humor. I am most proud that I went all-in on something I really care about (performing standup) and, for better or worse, am sticking to it. What sets me apart from others is being involved in standup at such as a young age and my complete honesty with myself when it comes to the things I talk about onstage.
Pricing:
- Tickets to,” Chris Howard’s Comedy Hour” $15
- Tickets to,” Chris Howard’s Variety Hour” $15
Contact Info:
- Instagram: thisischrishoward
- Twitter: itsjustchrisbro
- Youtube: talky time with chris
