We were lucky to catch up with Adam Broud recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Adam thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Moving from having comedy be a side gig to it being my full-time gig has been the greatest thing ever, but yeah, it’s been tough getting there! For a long time I assumed comedy and writing just weren’t viable options for someone like me. It seems like you need rich parents and connections to do it. And truth be told, that’s exactly what a lot of people do lean on to become comedians and writers. I think the main thing that’s helped me to become a full-time comedian despite not having that safety net has mostly been equally talented friends who are willing to give me opportunities as they find them for themselves, and then also working super hard to get better at comedy and create opportunities for myself and for my community. We all need people, and having a network of people trying to make comedy their dream makes things much easier than trying to do it all myself.
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?
My name is Adam Broud and I’m a stand-up, improv, and sketch comedian and a writer. I perform stand-up under my own name and by running Comedy Church, a fake church comedy show for ex-relgious people. Additionally, I write sketch and film.
I’m really proud of the comedy I’ve made. Comedy Church has been a great show that’s both fun and gives a cathartic experience for people who generally feel like they’ve lost a community since leaving religion. I think the show operates in a unique space where it’s first and foremost a very fun show, but it’s got just enough self-reflection built into it that I think it’s meaningful to people without feeling forced.
My personal comedy has also been fun to figure out over the years. I’ve always prided myself on being an eclectic person, and I think that’s apparent in my comedy. I do a fair amount of clean shows, but I also do a lot of blasphemous/adult type comedy. I think there’s probably a pretty good punchline out there for everything, and I pride myself on finding those punchlines in everything I do. In the end, I think that’s a positive for me as I can be thrown into any sort of performance situation and feel confident that I’m going to deliver a good show.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
There are two parts of comedy that I absolutely love. The first is the obvious one, and that’s the laughs. There’s no greater feeling than making an entire room full of people laugh and laugh consistently the whole time you’re on stage. I think it’s so much harder to do than people realize. And to feel that payoff really is amazing.
Beyond that though, I really truly love the tough stuff that goes into writing for comedy. It’s insane how much I write, and I absolutely love it. Whenever I talk to other comedians, I feel like that’s the differentiator between who is actually going to make it. Everyone loves the laughs, but do you also love the process? Everyone wants to go on stage and kill, but are you willing to beat yourself over the head while staring at the computer screen wondering what the perfect analogy is or whether “but” is funnier than “and” in this joke? I think if people can find the joy in that part of comedy, then you really do love comedy for what it is. It’s not applause and accolades. It’s the words. And I love love love that process.
Now all the booking and agent work? I hate that. Call me if you’re an agent. I’m so done with doing that shit.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I jumped in with Comedy Church when Greg Kyte called me up to hang out at his place one night. Truth be told, I was just hoping he’d ask me to be on the show. When I got to his place he told me how the show was becoming too much for him, and he was thinking about putting it to an end. Then he had a second though. What if he brought someone else in as co-host, and that’s when I came to mind.
Funny enough, Greg and I didn’t know each other super well at the time, so it was a pretty big risk of him to ask me to join in. Thankfully, Greg is an amazing person and he’s now one of my closest friends, so it’s worked out great. We’d originally just known each other by going to open mics and doing a few shows together, but now we’re the arch-prophet and mega-pastor of Comedy Church, and I’d walk through hell for the guy. And based on our comedic leanings, one day we might have to actually do that if it turns out we were wrong about the whole atheist thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adambroud.com
- Instagram: @adambroud
- Twitter: @adambroud
Image Credits
– Adam Broud (subject)
– Ryan Provstgaard (photographer)