Always Looking Forward

It’s been wild to take a step back and realize how far things have come. I started comedy in Lexington, Kentucky — a small but passionate scene that became my creative home for years. It’s where I built so much from the ground up, from open mics to full-blown shows, from shaky five-minute sets to finding my voice on stage. I made mistakes, learned a lot, and grew even more. Lexington was where I became a comedian, and it’ll always be the place that lit the spark for everything I’m chasing now.

But now… I’m in Atlanta. And wow, this city is a different animal. Back home, we thought we were slammed running five or six mics a week and three or four shows. Here? You can hit three to five mics a day if you plan right. There are roughly four totally different “sub-scenes” within Atlanta comedy, and each one feels bigger than Lexington’s entire ecosystem. There’s talent everywhere — comics grinding, experimenting, and performing at every level. The energy is electric, and it’s clear that Atlanta isn’t just a comedy city; it’s a comedy universe.

I’ve only been to four venues so far, but I’ve already joined all the scene’s communication hubs — Facebook groups, pages, the Discord channel — and it’s incredible to see how organized and interconnected everything is. What’s funny is how familiar it all feels. So many of the things I tried to bring to Lexington — like a comedy Discord, writing groups, and a clear “pipeline” of development from beginner mics to booked showcases — already exist here in full force. Seeing that system thriving in a city like ATL reassures me that I wasn’t crazy for dreaming that big. I was just early.

There’s something deeply validating about walking into a new scene and recognizing ideas you once sketched out on a napkin actually working on a massive scale. It makes me even more excited to dig in, learn, grow, and eventually earn my place here. Whether it’s hitting every mic I can, building new relationships, or just watching how the veterans move, I’m here to keep leveling up — as a comic, a producer, and a person.

For any comics out there feeling uncertain about their path, let me tell you something I’ve had to remind myself over and over again: you’re tougher than you think. The road’s never going to be clear or easy, but that’s the point. Don’t fall for that “if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen” nonsense — make it happen. If you want something, go grab it by the nuts and take it. If you see people doing what you want to do, don’t get bitter — get curious. Study them. Learn from them. Then build your own version and make it yours.

Comedy’s a grind, but it’s also the most rewarding thing in the world when you realize you’re growing through it. From Lexington to Atlanta and beyond — I’m just getting started. Always looking forward.