We recently connected with Markus Olind and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Markus, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I graduated college and worked in Corporate Finance for 2 years. I started comedy as a senior in college, but once I started working professionally after graduation, I realized how much I hated corporate finance and how much I’d rather be doing comedy. I spent the next 18 months coming up with a plan to quit my job and go full-time comedy. This was a risk that a lot of friends and family still don’t think made sense, but after 10 years doing comedy, it’s 100% been the right decision.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a stand-up comedian based in Austin. I perform all over the country, from clubs to festivals. I co-host a podcast called the Works Every Time Podcast (WET Podcast). I have a 30 minute special on Amazon Prime, called “Black Thanksgiving”.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Pay artists more. So much money is sucked up by non-contributors in the entertainment industry. The talent is what people pay to see, but there are tons of people who just take up space and add zero value.

Once artists become financially independent, they can focus on creating great art and not pleasing suits.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When people tell you after a show about how much the laughter helped them get through a hard time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @beardvonmarkus
• Youtube: @wet.podcast