Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andre Ricks. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andre, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
East Austin Comedy Club was born out of a desire for independence. Raza Jafri and I realized we both had the desire to have our own show to do comedy as much as possible. We met in January of 2021 an immediately started planning on turning Santa Cruz theater into a comedy spot. Unfortunately, that original plan didn’t work out for us but we kept our ears to the street for over a year until we landed on our current location. The advantages of our current situation made it an almost no brainer to take the risk on running a show at the Tiger Den. The location is in between downtown and the heart of the East Side on 4th street. The vibe of the place has an old Austin feel and the performance space is perfect for comedy. All of that mixed with a relatively minimal financial risk gave us the idea of starting a club after the success of our first show in April of 2022.
Andre, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Andre Ricks. I am 16year Austin resident from Lubbock, Tx. I started comedy August 2017 right here in Austin. My move into comedy was an easy decision. Being in this industry fulfills almost all the requirements I have ever had for carreer. I get to work when I want, wear what I want, say what I want and the earning potential is 100% based on the effort I decide to put in. I also get to travel around this world and earn money just about any place with a PA system. I’m most proud of being able to help put money in comedians pockets and provide quality entertainment for the city. East Austin Comedy Club isn’t a traditional club at all and I encourage everyone to come experience this vibe we’ve created.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I started comedy here in Austin and decided March of 2020 to move to NYC to continue a relationship and comedy. The relationship and the world stopped in spectacular fashion that year and after living/suffering in a van for a year and half. I’ve landed where I am today. The comedy game is built on pivoting and being able to move where the opportunities are.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
We met at an open mic in January of 2021. I had left New York July of 2020 and had been living/traveling in a van until I decided to come back home to Texas. Raza had left Chicago and landed in Austin, after a trip to Mexico. I was coming home and he was looking for a place to settle for a bit and do comedy.
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