Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank King
Hi Frank, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
This is my fourth TEDx Talk (of the 12 that I have done) and it’s my origin story. How I got in to stand up comedy, and eventually speaking on Suicide Prevention; Suicide, The Secret of My Success https://youtu.be/3D4m33DXtsI
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Depression and suicide run in my family, it’s called Generational Depression and Suicide. My Grandmother died by suicide, my mother found her, my great aunt died by suicide, my mother and I found her, I was 4-years old, and I screamed for days. And if you’re that close to suicide, and I don’t think anyone could get much closer, then the odds of you considering taking your own life, later in life go up. And that’ what happened in April 0f 2010, after losing everything in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I came closing enough to ending my life that I can tell you what the barrel of my gun tastes like.
Spoiler Alert: I did not pull the trigger.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I began standup comedy full time the day after Christmas 1985, and was on the road, doing comedy clubs for 2,629 nights in a row non-stop. In 1993 I was hired as a sidekick on a morning radio show in Raleigh, NC, did that for 18 months, and got fired. Then I jumped from being a club comic to being a corporate comic (conferences and conventions), until the end of 2007. In 2008 the world financial markets collapsed, my bookings dropped of 80% practically overnight, and that’s when we lost everything.
In 2012 I went from being a funny speaker, to a speaker who was funny, In 2014 I did my first TEDx Talk on Suicide Prevention, and began keynoting on that, am doing that today.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
At 67 I’m a Masters Level bodybuilder, and I’m getting ready to do my 5th contest.
Pricing:
- $7500 plus travel for a keynote
- $10,000 for How to Make Money Speaking Coaching
- $10,000 for How to Land and Leverage a TEDx Talk
- $3,500 for my online TEDx Coaching Course
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mentalhealthcomedian.com
Image Credits
Karen Skelly Photography