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

David, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

When I was thirty years old, I moved to a new city. I was a teacher at the time, but there just weren’t any positions available. Bored and poor, I went to an open mic comedy night at a local pub. I watched as ten or so people from the crowd took their turn on stage, telling stories and throwing out one liners. I thought, “I could do that.” I was a drama teacher. I was used to being on stage. I was used to talking to people. How hard could it be? So I went home and wrote some jokes. Seven days later, I was the one telling the jokes. I had a good enough set not to quit. Not great, but just good enough to keep going. I was hooked. I got up every week that year and wrote as many jokes as I could. Things were looking up. There was, however, the little issue of not having a job. I didn’t want to leave the city to teach, as one of the other smaller towns had comedy. This is when I hatched my first big idea: a comedy contest based on the hit movie “Bloodsport.” I would invite the best comedians from around the world to fight in an underground tournament, but it would be in the back of a sportsbar instead and the comedians would be from the open mic down the street. Well, it worked. I had figured out a way to charge people money for what was essentially the same show from earlier that week….I changed the name and made it a contest! I gave out prizes and let the audience vote off the comics they didn’t like. It was a hit and I’d figured out a way to turn my new hobby into a little enterprise. Like any business, it takes time to make it work. For me, it took several years, but eventually I created a little club running five shows a week with a roster of local talent and a stage for touring pros. I’m still making it up as a I go, but I haven’t stopped having fun.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I try to run my comedy club much like a karate school. Kelowna isn’t a huge city, so we can’t just pluck the top talent from a huge list of potential stars. Basically, we are developing talent from the ground up. Open mic is every Thursday and it is the first time many people will have ever been on stage. Our open mic is fun and well attended. I spend extra time and effort promoting this show. I want people’s first time on stage to be fun and memorable. You’ll often hear about open mics in cities that have more comedians than audience members, but I believe our open mic is the foundation of whole scene and I work hard to make it a success. Eventually, as comics improve, they move onto weekend spots. I try my best to provide comics with opportunities and challenges that will help them become better comedians. I suppose that philosophy comes from my teaching days. I am trying to set them up for success and building them up rather that just looking for talent.

The other side of my business that developed over time is our “Comedy for a Cause” program. One of our shows each week is a fundraiser for a local cause. We donate 100% of ticket sales and have raised over one hundred thousand dollars for our community. Its obviously nice to help out others, but it really helps us too. These shows bring new people to the club and build up our profile.

As our comedians grow as performers, so do our shows. Openers become headliners and eventually go on tour across the country. Because we are small and independent, we are able to shift quickly. Touring headliners take our stage frequently, but what really sets us apart is our local scene. Out of 270 shows in a year, 250 of them feature a line up of 100% local talent.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think its important for creative people and artists to remember that those sames skills that make you a good artist will make you a great entrepeneur. In the end, its about creative problem solving. You don’t need to wait for anyone to give you an opportunity. Just make it for yourself. If you have a goal that is more important than just making money, you will succeed. Furthermore, its important to give yourself credit for your successes and to build on them. You can get the same kind of reward from solving a problem as you would from writing a good joke or creating a sculpture or whatever. You are making something new that serves a purpose and brings joy. Thats huge. If that is what you get to do, you are very lucky. Don’t take it for granted.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Comedy is humbling. Everyone bombs. Its a lesson every time. If you aren’t bombing sometimes, you probably aren’t taking enough risks. If you are bombing all the time, you should probably rethink what you are doing with your life. However, just putting in the reps, regardless of the outcome, being on stage several times a week, experiencing success and failure constantly, will strengthen your heart and soul. After that, real life is easy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kelownacomedy.ca
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.kopp.714

Image Credits
Daniel Harsch