Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dave Bradley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Dave, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Honestly, trial and error is the only way to learn. The more things you try, the more things you’ll fail at, which will give you more to learn from in the end. I also believe knowing how to speak to people will help you a lot in the long run, you will need to ask for help at some point. There is no path to success by your lonesome.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Dave Bradley is a comedian, writer, and producer currently in Chicago, IL.

Since 2019, Dave has created a lane in the comedy scene by working on his craft and speaking his mind, on and offstage.

From starting in a small bar in Chicago, to working many comedy clubs (Laugh Factory, Comedy Bar, The Comedy Shrine, Riddles Comedy Club Etc), and now hitting the road doing shows in multiple cities across the country, it’s clear that Dave has no end in sight. Since 2021, he created the brand “The Corner Classic”, a monthly comedy show where comedians travel to Chicago to deliver fresh perspectives to the audience. The Corner Classic is Dave’s way of showing creatives that your destiny can be in your hands, if you want it to be.

In 2023, Dave was nominated as a finalist for Chicago Reader Magazine’s “Best Stand Up Comic of 2023”, he also released his debut comedy special entitled “Happy Birthday!” Which is available to stream on the website thecornerclassic.com.

Dave has been on his “Truth Teller” tour all of 2024, doing comedy clubs, theaters, and universities. From cities such as Austin, TX, St. Louis, MO, Orlando, FL, Columbus, OH, LA, and more, 2024 has been a monumental year in Dave’s career, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Ultimately, being able to provide for my family is the goal always. Not just financial support. I mean emotional support, creative support, spiritual support, etc. I’d find it very difficult to be there for them in those ways if I was not creating my art. It’s a huge part of who I am, and showing the youth that there is a different way of living outside of the norm is very important to me.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’ve built the foundation of my social media off the return on investment in the great relationships I’ve built over the course of my life. Treat people with love, and it will return to you. Also, just post whatever comes to mind. There’s no real rules to this. Post and go make another one. Rinse repeat. Learn as you go.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the.lorddave
• Youtube: Dave Bradley Comedy

Image Credits

Photos done by Sarah Elizabeth Larson, and Josh J-Treb Jones