We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam Mamawala a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

When I started out in stand-up comedy, the landscape was entirely different. Social media was in its infancy, and the old-school model of keeping your head down, working hard and waiting your turn was the prevailing rhetoric. While it sounds like there was a certain justice in that model, it was just as unfair as people making it or not making it via social media seems to be. But if there’s anything I regret from my early days, it’s not spending more time on cultivating a fan base. In modern comedy, as long as you can get a hundred people out to a show in most parts of the country, you can make a pretty good living. I was very late to the game with mailing lists, newsletters, and utilizing social media to my benefit. The one thing that kills me the most is the fact that from about 2010-2014, I headlined hundreds of colleges throughout the country and never once did I think to get people’s e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc. During that time I probably performed in front of thousands if not tens of thousands of students, and I did not retain any of those early fans.

Adam, 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?

I am a stand-up comedian based out of New York City. I’ve been doing stand-up for more than half of my life at this point in some capacity, and I’ve made a living as an entertainer for over a decade. At this stage my income includes a lot of other sources that I would define as “stand-up adjacent”, things like acting gigs, hosting corporate events, podcasting, freelance writing, etc.
I’m very hard on myself but I’m extremely proud of the things I’ve accomplished over the years. I’ve appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, and BET and both of my comedy albums debuted at number one on the iTunes Comedy Charts. I had the opportunity to write for Someecards and to be on the freelance staff for Saturday Night Live’s Weekend update, and several years ago I had the opportunity to star as the lead character in a 6 episode comedy series called Under Cover Comic, now streaming on Amazon Prime, Roku and Tubi.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit in 2020, it was a double whammy for those of us in creative fields. The financial impact is obvious, but coupled with that was the fact that so much of how we express ourselves is predicated on in person performance. It all felt pretty hopeless in those first few weeks, but soon people started experimenting with virtual events on Zoom, Instagram Live, etc. Looking back now, I’m really proud of the degree to which I embraced that medium. It kept me afloat, creatively and financially, and I honestly think it made my comedy grow because of how challenging it was at times.

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

For me, it’s living life on my own terms and not having to answer to anyone. Sure, in some ways I have to answer to many different people at any given moment, but to be in control of my own journey is important, For a lot of people, structure is everything. Working a 9-5 job is a comfort more than it is a burden. But for me, as someone who was never in that world, I really love being able to travel, make my own schedule, play softball on a Monday afternoon if I want to, and generally just make my own way. It’s incredibly hard to make a living as a performer, so I have enormous respect for anyone who does so.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adammamawala.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adammamawala
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamawalacomedy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammamawala/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/adammamawala
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/mamawalacomedy

Image Credits

Ericka Estrella
Jordan Ashleigh
Sam Cashell