As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Alyssa Poteet. The Chicago, Illinois native shares with us some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and lets us know how she owns the laughs.
Name: Alyssa Poteet
Hometown: Chicago(ish), Illinois/Los Angeles, California
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @complete_poteet
Years in Comedy: 5 years, but who’s counting? 😉
Haven’t we seen you somewhere before: 3rd Place Winner of the US Comedy Contest & Judge’s Favorite at Uncle Clyde’s Comedy Contest
Comedic Influences: SpongeBob, George Carlin, Nathan Fielder, Kathlene Madigan, Tim & Eric–I could go on for 10 more paragraphs, but I wouldn’t do that to you.
Favorite Comedy Movie: Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie or Bad Trip
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Nathan For You is my all-time favorite show in the world!
Some shows that come to mind (in no particular order): I Think You Should Leave, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Mike Tyson Mysteries, King of the Hill, 30 Rock, The Other Two, Futurama, Broad City South Park, Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, PEN15, Bob’s Burgers, Close Enough, and Review.
Favorite Topics to Joke About: All the old, creepy men who think they have a chance with me
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: I particularly love performing for crowds that are younger and skew female 🙂
Favorite Comedy Club: Are you trying to get me blacklisted? (Laughs)
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I’ve always loved standup comedy my entire life, but I never thought I’d do it myself until I went to engineering school. At the time, I thought that being an engineer would mean I could change the world for the better, but I quickly realized you’re more likely to make some asshole rich while drowning in a tangled web of bureaucracy and organizational BS. That left a weird taste in my mouth that I couldn’t shake, so I decided to try doing something that I actually enjoyed for once.
How would you describe your comedic style:
Upbeat, energetic, ranting, and hilarious.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
LA is a big scene. Sometimes it feels small when you run into the same people over and over again, but there’s also a ton of hilarious people in the scene I’ve never met. I think because of this, the scene has kind of fractioned itself off into smaller mini-scenes depending on what side of town you’re on.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
People laughing at your jokes and bookers booking you on shows.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
A lady ran up to me and hugged me after a show, handed me $20, and said I was representing engineers well (she was an engineer). I don’t think she was correct, but it sure felt good.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
No one cares how well-written your jokes are if you can’t deliver them well.
Describe what it’s been like building a career in stand-up comedy:
It’s been like pushing a boulder up a beautiful mountain–but the top of the mountain is completely invisible, covered in clouds. You can’t be completely sure how away it is or if there’s even a top to this mountain at all, but you keep pushing anyway, hoping that there is. It’ll suck if you focus on how much your body aches, but it’s a pretty nice journey when you look out and enjoy the scenery.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
Get rid of the sexual predators. (There’s more than you think)
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
You want your act to be fairly clean but not squeaky clean. Everybody’s different, but I personally think if you can have an act that doesn’t feel raunchy but still has some bite to it, that’s a pretty good spot to be.
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
In college, a friend and I attempted to sneak into an Oscar After-Party at Madonna’s managers’ house by pretending to be friends with Madonna. (It didn’t work.)
While sitting on the side of the road, planning our next move, some dude from inside a dark SUV in the line of SUV drivers escorting people to the party yelled out at us that we “just need to try harder, don’t give up!”.
1 hike through a forested ravine + a fence hop later, I ended up at the party. I high-fived a very intoxicated Leonardo Decaprio (it was the year he won his Oscar) and heard someone shout from behind me, “I can’t believe you made it!”. That dude from before ended up being Jared Leto.
He proceeded to awkwardly give me his email address before I was escorted off the premises.
Ah, to be 20 again…
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
Zoom!
An Alyssa Poteet Fun Fact:
One of my feet is a size bigger than the other.
What’s next for you:
My beautiful dog, Tammy 🙂
Why should a person always laugh at life:
You’re literally going to die. Possibly any minute now. Make it fun while you got it.
Watch Alyssa Poteet at The Comedy Chateau:
Follow Alyssa Poteet’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Alyssa Poteet
Youtube: Alyssa Poteet
