Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Castillo
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started stand up comedy in college in late 2016 my junior year at UT Austin. A friend of mine was in an improv troupe and she encouraged me to do an open mic until I finally worked up the courage to do it. I performed to 5 people on a Monday night. In 2017 I graduated and took a marketing job that consumed all my time and energy. In early 2018 I quit that job and learned how to become a prep cook and eventually a line cook and sous chef so that I could have my nights free and focus more on comedy while working a job that wasn’t as mentally draining to me as an office job. About two years into comedy (actually committed) the world locked down in 2020 and I just worked constantly to pay off debt and keep myself above water, get sober and decide if I wanted to do comedy when the world opened back up.
Up until the pandemic I knew I had to leave Austin for either LA or New York in order to have a shot at a career and planned on moving to do so. However in 2021 Joe Rogan moved to town and a bunch of comedians from the Comedy Store and the Creek and the Cave comedy club from New York followed suit. The headliners I knew all told me to stay and see if I could ride the wave of new found interest in comedy in Austin. So when everything opened up started a comedy show at a neighborhood bar with a patio that was covid safe, and started working on building material. I eventually moved my show to my friend’s small business, Idlewild Coffee that was at the time located inside a venue called Native Hostel. By running my shows and developing at the Creek and the Cave every night of the week I developed a short enough act to take on the road. I booked weeks in New York and Chicago on my own and lost money doing shows every night. But I didn’t care because I was meeting comics in those bigger cities, learning from them and testing my fledgling 10 minute sets in front of audiences in the north.
In the next year and a half, smaller comic ran clubs like East Austin Comedy and Black Rabbit Comedy both opened and Cap City Comedy reopened in their new location in the Domain. Sunset strip comedy and the comedy mothership also both opened in 2023 too. In 2022 desperate for stage time I drove to Seattle and back with my buddy Pat Sirois and did thirty minutes (even when I didn’t have it) to bar in a different town or city every night for a month. We shared motel rooms in the worst neighborhoods and drove all day and night to get from town to town. We went as far north as the San Juan Islands and as far out as Helena, Montana. A crazy run.
In 2023 I started to host weekends for headliners at the Creek and got picked up by a big headliner, Tim Dillon to open for him in clubs and theaters for that tour. It was amazing to be able to make money on the road instead of losing money or breaking even, be able to learn and watch one of the greats and be able to stay in nicer hotels. In that year I also showcased and submitted for major festivals and was lucky enough to get selected to be a performer on Skanksfest in Las Vegas, Rogue Island in Rhode Island and Flyover Comedy in Saint Louis.
In 2024 I showcased for a few streaming platforms and late night shows and got selected for the Moontower Comedy festival here in Austin. In this year I’ve made the jump up to feature act in local clubs and have been able headline those same clubs for the first time. I also started two podcasts, BAD NEWS, a comedy podcast where I cover news stories I find interesting and GOOD SAM BAD SAM, that I host with my friend Sam Minney. We invite comedians on and secretly interview their friends and family behind their backs for good and bad things and stories about them. Then on air we tell them that their loved ones had to say about them, it’s a blast. This summer I spent the entire summer in New York and the goal now is split time in between here and there and grow my act and an following online to go full time in the next year or two.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a rocky road to be honest haha. I’ve had to end a relationship to keep chasing my dream and I’ve had to forgo a regular life. I don’t have much time for hobbies outside of working a day job and working this second job at night. Losing friendships and missing out on regular social activities can be frustrating. You don’t actually stop being friends with people but when all you do is shows and open mics at night you’re not able to hang out with them. And after you decline plans so many times they’ll naturally stop inviting you. You’ll also stop inviting them to shows because they’re sick of going to shows lol. So, you lose them to comedy.
I also struggled with substances after college and had to find that being sober was the best version of me and my key to happiness. I also considered quitting all together during the pandemic. I was lost and like most people I felt like what I did before lock down was not useful to society or meaningful. But I’m glad I stuck with it and I think I’m on the right track.
Finding the time to be creative and let your mind wander is also huge and not always easy. You constantly have to be coming up with new material and then find a way to film it, edit and upload it. I find that I’ve had periods of time where I could stay on top of this and then I fall off in order to focus on life and just writing and working out material. Really the key in order to do this is to always be filming and not think about it twice.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a stand up comedian and podcaster. I specialize in comedy that focuses on relationships and my life’s experiences. I joke about family, dating, friends, being biracial, college, traveling getting sober and being an identical twin. I’m not really political and I just want to explore the things we take for granted in our society. I do this in silly way and I’m pretty high energy and try to be as natural as possible while still putting on a real show. If you come to see me, you’ll see someone be present and give everything they have into every performance because this is what I love doing most. I think that’s what I’m more known for and specialize in. I’m most proud of bringing together. People who are regulars at my shows have become genuine friends who hang out outside of the shows, and making community. I’m also just proud of making laugh and taking their minds off their problems for a little bit.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can support me best by following me on YouTube and instagram and either enjoying the clips and podcasts I put up on those platforms or coming to see me live. My podcasts are the Bad News Podcast onthe Creek and the Cave’s YouTube channel or the Good Sam Bad Sam podcast that I independently produce with a fellow comedian and friend of mine, Sam Minney. I also run a live show every other week at East Austin Comedy Club called Cold Brew Comedy. I put together a new line up every time of the best local and listing stand ups, tickets can be purchased the link in the instagram for the show @coldbrewcomedy or in the “full calendar” tab on the club’s website, https://eastaustincomedy.com/
All of the shows that I produce are under $15 and are byob because I want every one of any income level to come see me. I also want as diverse an audience I can get to my shows so that I can test my material on as many different walks of life and see how it holds up.
All of shows that I promote and appear on may cost more but are certainly worth it.
If any reader likes my podcasts they can email me and make a donation to our Venmo so that we can pay ourselves and our producers.
People can collaborate with me by emailing me at samcastillocomedy@gmail.com for business inquiries, whether its booking me for shows, acting gigs and podcast appearances.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/samcastillo
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samcastillocomedy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@samcastillocomedy
