We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyrone Burston. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyrone below.

Alright, Tyrone thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I started being a class clown in the 5th grade. I loved the attention and making my classmates laugh. Growing up my mom didn’t have a job, single parent on welfare. One day I was sitting in class and thought to myself, I probably could do whatever I want to do in here, cause we don’t have a house phone.

Tyrone, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My first time on stage was August 18th 2013. I went the Comedy Zone School for 8 weeks, July-September of 2013. Months All my life I was told how funny I was, always the class clown and loved watching standup comedy as a kid. In the back of my mind I always felt like I had what it took to be a comedian but I never pursued it because I didn’t know anyone that did it and didn’t really know how to get started. I was born and raised in Hartford CT, moved down south to Charlotte NC when I was 24 years old. At the time I was married to my 1st wife and had 2 small children ages 3 and 3 months old. I just worked regular full time jobs, providing for my family. In March of 2013 my brother in-law was shot and killed at the age of 19 years old. It was at that moment, I decided to not waste a talent I knew I possessed. I vowed to do whatever I had to do to learn how to be a standup comedian. I got on stage 5 months later, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I recently celebrated my 10 year comedy anniversary this past August. I try to not only provide laughter but a sense of hope to inspire and motivate people to use their unique talents and skills. I believe that as a comedian that separates me from most artists.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

In February of 2014, I came across a YouTube video by Earl Nightingale entitled, “The Strangest Secret In The World.” Being curious I wanted to know what this gentleman deemed to be the strangest secret in the world. And simply put, it’s we become, what we think about. I immediately agreed and believed everything I heard in the 32 minute recording. I started implementing every step and all the advice given in the audio recording. I began being very diligent on controlling my thoughts, setting goals, writing them out and tracking them 30 days at a time. In two years after doing standup comedy I was named Queen City Comedian Of The Year, I opened up for several celebrities I grew up watching on TV such as, Arsenio Hall, Bruce Bruce, Joe Torry, Affion Crocket, Michael Blackson, Adele Givens and others. I had goals on becoming a feature act within the first 5 years of my career and was able to successfully achieve that. I also became a national touring comedian opening up for Adele Givens and started doing standup comedy full time 2 years ago. I’ve performed on Showtime At The Apollo and recently just performed at the #1 comedy club in the country the legendary Laugh Factory in Hollywood California. Even after 10 years, I’m still setting goals and achieving them, all based on a recording I found on YouTube almost 10 years ago. “The Strangest Secret In The World” by Earl Nightingale. We become, what we think about.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In my 6th year of Standup Comedy I became very depressed. I started to doubt myself and even thought of quitting standup comedy. I just felt like I was on a treadmill going nowhere. This lasted for almost an entire year. And then one day, it hit me, I suddenly understood exactly what was wrong with me mentally. I had gotten away from setting goals and tracking them 30 days at a time until the goal was reached. That had always been my formula throughout the years and surprisingly I had totally gotten away from it. I instantly started to set my next goal of becoming a national touring Headliner. And I am still on that journey till this day. I am proud to say that I actually headlined two comedy clubs this year for the 1st time ever, Fort Wayne Florida and Augusta GA. I am currently still on the path of becoming what I think about. Hear my story, follow my journey. I’m BurstonWithComedy!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: BurstonWithComedy
• Facebook: BurstonWithComedy
• Youtube: BurstonWithComedy
• Other: TikTok BurstonWithComedy

Image Credits
Comedy Zone