Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Young.
Hi Brandon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a Christian stand-up comedian who’s been doing comedy in San Diego for a little over ten years. I co-created and co-directed the San Diego Comedy Festival in its first three years of existence. I have a Dry Bar Comedy special as well as have been on Comedy Time TV and can be heard on Pandora and Spotify.
I’m originally from a small town called Oscoda, Michigan and moved to San Diego in December 2003. I’ve been happily married to my amazing wife Courtney for nearly 12 years and have an 11-year-old beagle named Arrow.
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?
Has comedy been a smooth road? No, not at all. I’ve contemplated giving up on the dream quite a bit over the years, yet something keeps dragging me back into it. It’s an obsession. There’s actually quite a bit of drama found in the comedy industry. You get into random beefs over the years that you really don’t know when or why they even started; the highs and lows of performances are higher and lower than you ever thought imaginable; and you constantly find yourself question why you’re even doing this in the first place – and then you’ll have one magical show that reminds you why.
There’s also a ton of work involved behind the scenes that is absolutely needed. I find myself suffering quite a bit from writer’s block. Though I’ve been in the business for quite a while, I also sometimes forget how to reach out to bookers in order to get shows. I, like most comics, don’t have an agent so it takes a lot more effort to reach out to get that precious stage time. And the rejection always hurts even after so many times of having done so.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a stand-up comedian who works family-friendly clean. I’ve performed anywhere from bars and comedy clubs to churches and small theaters.
I’m most proud of having filmed and released a comedy special for Dry Bar Comedy, a completely clean comedy production company that has their specials released on their app, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Amazon Prime and many other places. Actually, quite a few other comics from San Diego have had specials released on their platforms, which is pretty cool considering San Diego isn’t known for being a hub of clean comedy like some places in the country like the south might be more known for.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve taken quite a bit of risks in the comedy world. A couple of the biggest risks were co-creating the San Diego Comedy Festival with former San Diego comic/resident, Dan Bublitz, and the guys who owned the Comedy Palace (when it was open) back in 2014; opening a small comedy club of my own along with Dan in Santee called, Legends Comedy Club, which was opened inside the Oaks Bar & Grill for a little over six months back in 2014 as well; and reaching out to Dry Bar Comedy and continuing to reach out about ten weeks in a row after not having been responded to in that time, finally getting an acceptance response – persistence pays off!
Contact Info:
- Email: brandonyoungcomedy@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.brandonyoungcomedy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byoungcomedy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandonyoungcomedy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/byoungcomedy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brandonyoungcomedy
Image Credits
The two headshots – Shaun Baker (Shaun Baker Photography)
The photo with Brandon Young captioned on it – Dry Bar Comedy.
