As part of We Own The Laughs.com’s Comedian of the Day, have a few laughs and get to know comedian Dina Cruz. The Miami, FL native shares some of her favorite moments in stand-up comedy and explains how she always owns the laughs.
Name: Dina Cruz
Hometown: Miami, FL
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: @d.nuhhh
Years in Comedy: 2
Comedic Influences: Eddie Murphy & Betty White
Favorite Comedy Album: Bo Burnham “Inside”
Favorite Comedy Special: Richard Pryor “Live On The Sunset Strip”
Favorite Comedy Movie: Kicking & Screaming
Favorite Comedy TV Show: Martin
Favorite Comedic Character: Shaneyney
Favorite City to Perform In: Austin, TX
Favorite Topics to Joke About: Life, Love, and having a teenager as a millennial while still looking too young to have a teenager.
Favorite Type of Audience for a Comedy Show: An engaged and diverse crowd is always best. it’s fun when both me and them have an “aha” moment.
Favorite Comedy Club: The Comedy Cellar
How did you discover your passion for comedy:
I’ve always loved stand-up. I remember being as young as 9 and watching Comic View on BET. Being in commercials and acting from a young age, I was never camera shy. But the intimacy of just you and a mic is unparalleled. There’s no writer, no director, no retakes. Compiled with the instant gratification of immediate laughter, it has always intrigued me. It doesn’t matter if it’s 4 or 4000 people. There is something so special when you connect on the level of humor with another human being.
What do you remember most about your first time performing stand-up comedy:
I remember not knowing what to say. It was a long, painful three and a half minutes. A very good friend and fellow comic, Cisco Duran, tricked me into doing my first open mic. But once I started talking, I just never looked back.
How would you describe your comedic style:
I’d say it’s just really me. Everyone’s inspired by the greats we see doing it. Old school and new school. I’d say I’m a cross between Ms. Pat and Joan Rivers. I’ll say some practical yet off-the-wall things in the classiest way possible.
Describe your process for comedic writing:
All my best ideas come from real experience. So when something funny happens, I write it in my “burn” notebook, and I’ll work on it—and work on it and work on it some more… till I think it’s perfect-ish. Then I’ll add it to my “Bible” notebook, which never leaves my house. It is my holy grail of material.
Describe the comedy scene in your area:
Comedy in Miami is in a puberty stage—like we’re getting older, maturing, and becoming a bigger scene overall. But it’s still a tight-knit community. Miami comics kind of all know each other or know somebody who knows somebody.
How do you judge success in the world of comedy:
I think being a success is being able to feed my family forever by doing what I love.
Who are some of your comedic peers that you enjoy watching perform or inspire you personally and professionally:
Chris Renois is a great writer. Adri Fernandez is always fun to watch, too. Ricky Cruz is a Miami fav. Cisco Duran and Jay McCord are great at crowd work. Manny Garavito is a great producer. I could go on and on about my peeps. There really is something in the water down in South Florida.
What’s been your most memorable moment in comedy:
Probably the time I flashed the audience cause my boob popped out of my sundress. I wear hoodies on stage a lot now.
What have you learned most from your failures in comedy:
Just keep going. One bad set means you’re closer to a perfect punchline.
How do people react toward you when they realize that you can make people laugh:
They usually don’t believe me. I get the “ you don’t look like a comic” a lot.
Describe building a career in stand-up comedy:
It’s a lot of hard work and unwavering self-belief. Months and sometimes even years of writing and rewriting, night after night of open mics, before you get your first gig. There will be plenty of people who will say you’re crazy,, and there will be plenty of days when you believe them and want to quit. Stand-up is the epitome of being a 10-year overnight success.
If you could change one thing in the world of comedy, what would it be:
Social Media is the barometer of a comedian’s talent. I wish we could be funny in real life.
Best advice you’ve ever received from a comedian:
Do your own thing. Be yourself and have fun.
If you were releasing a comedy special this week, what would it be called:
“My Mom Doesn’t Think I’m Funny”
Funniest encounter you’ve ever had with a celebrity:
Celebrities are pretty normal people around me. I guess that’s pretty ironic.
Weirdest place you’ve ever performed any form of comedy:
Christmas party for a dentist’s office.
A Dina Cruz Fun Fact:
I used to be a model, but those bitches are boring.
Where would you like your laughs to take you:
I’d love to write my own pilot for a TV series and win an Emmy someday. Touring is also an ultimate goal.
What would you tell a potential comedian if they ask you how they can own the laughs:
Just get out there and do it. Whatever you’re second-guessing or scared of, forget about it. There is no greater feeling than the 8 seconds of a crowd laughing after a joke hits.
What are your thoughts on the future of comedy:
If we collectively as artists decide to cancel cancel culture I think the future looks bright.
If you could write an episode for ONE classic TV sitcom, which show would it be:
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The birth of Will’s first child. From the trip to the hospital to the first month of no sleep.
If you could choose ONE comedy club and THREE comedians to perform with on your perfect comedy show, how would it go:
The Apollo Theater w/ Cisco Duran, Deray Davis, & Martin Lawrence. It’d be legendary. No other word.
What’s next for you:
Next for me is touring. I want to meet moms and divorced women all over the country and the world and show them we’re not some byproduct of a man’s world. We can still dare to dream no matter what life throws at us. It’s never too late.
Why should a person always laugh at life:
Laughing is like the sprinkles on a sundae. Like do you need them? No. But does it make life sweeter? Most definitely!
Follow Dina Cruz’s comedic journey on these social media websites:
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat/Tik-Tok: Dina Cruz
Youtube: Dina Cruz
