Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Scrocca
Hi Joseph , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In December 2023 I decided that I was dating women that were too crazy. I wanted to pursue something fun to distract me from not dating. I decided (with no prior training or experience) to try stand up comedy. My first open mic was on 12/14/2023 at a Pub in Toms River NJ which turned out to be a biker bar. A notorious NJ motorcycle club attended my first open mic. Since then I have done over 50 shows including opening for Steve Trevion in PA to an audience of almost 900 at the Kirby Theater in Wilkes Barre PA. I opened for Tony Woods at Dream Big Venues in Delmar, DE and I have performed at such famous venues as Rodneys in New York City and was awarded 3 shows at the 2024 Meadowlands Comedy Festival in NJ. I am about to do my first show in the state of Virginia at a winery in Leesburg VA. This will make my sixth state that I have performed in. I have performed in NJ, NY, PA, DE and FL to date. I love doing stand up and by the laughs I get at my shows the audiences are enjoying my humor.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
First, with no connections in comedy I had no idea what to expect from other comics. I am happy to say that the majority of comics have been supportive, welcoming and friendly. I think some insecure comics see me as a threat and don’t want to book me on shows as they feel I have gotten too far too fast and it’s a shame. I believe a rising tide lifts all boats and I do what I can to promote all of the comedians that I know. As far as jitters or stage fright I have never been nervous getting in front of people. If they don’t laugh I just keep doing my material. You are not going to hit with every audience so I know that there will be some shows where the crowd response won’t be what I expect it to be but it’s all part of the learning experience. So to summarize this question over all the road has been smooth. There is nothing that I have encountered that would make me second guess my decision to start doing stand up.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional stand up comedian. I specialize in making people laugh. My comedy is story telling based on real life events. I take those stories and clean them up and sometimes embellish to make them funny and not too long winded. I am most proud of making the decision to get in to stand up comedy with no fear and just doing my thing. People say “you must be nervous” and I can honestly tell them that I am not nervous when I hit the stage. What sets me apart from other stand up comics is my age. Although I work with some older comedians most have been doing comedy for years/decades. Very few comedians get started in their senior citizen years.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I think I did take a risk by getting into stand up comedy at the age of 62 with no prior training or experience. I don’t mind taking risks if I truly believe in what I am doing. I knew that if I was not funny all I did was invest some time and realize I don’t have what it takes to be a stand up comic. The risk did pay off because I am funny and only doing standup for about 7 months I am getting calls from bookers and promoters for paid shows. I am performing in venues that comics doing comedy for years have not been able to perform in.
So taking the risk had a very minimal downside and a ton of upside. I felt it was a risk worth taking and so far I believe it has paid off.
As far as thinking about risk I don’t really think about it. Either you take the risk or you don’t. If you over think about it you most likely will talk yourself out of taking the risk. I am one to want to die knowing I did everything I wanted to do with no regrets.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scroccaentertainmentgroup.com
- Instagram: joe_scrocca_comedy
- Facebook: joescroccacomedy
- Youtube: joe_scrocca_comedy
