We recently connected with Domonic Pierno and have shared our conversation below.

Domonic, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

I started as a Stand-Up comedian in January of 2019. Finding my love and passion for comedy was the best thing that ever happened to me however part of me wishes I had started this journey 10 or 15 years ago, even though I recognize that everything happens at the right time. Knowing what I know now and having the life experience behind me is what makes me a funny comedian, so even though at times I wish I had started earlier I truly believe that I started when I was ready.

Domonic, 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?

Raised by a single mother with no siblings and a drug addict dad who was hardly around, I learned from a young age to take care of myself and be my own entertainment, as a child I had a dream of becoming a radio personality, I would record myself with a cassette tape pretending to be a morning DJ on KROQ (a radio station in LA).

As years went on I found myself being labeled as a “class clown” and often took any opportunity I could to make the room laugh, fast forward to the summer of 2018 where I had a good friend tell me he thought I would be great for stand-up. At the time I didn’t believe in myself enough to think I could do that, but after months of pushing (and writing) I finally did my first open mic on January 15th 2019 at Chapter One Bar and Lounge in Santa Ana, CA, which was hosted by Even “The Cassman” Cassidy AKA Orange County comedy legend Cass!

From that day forward you could find me at open mics 3-4 times a night, within that first year I ended up hosting a sold out Improv, performed at the Madhouse Comedy Club in San Diego, the Ice House comedy club in Pasadena and the Hollywood Comedy Store to name a few. Then….COVID struck. 2020 was NOT a banner year for comedy, in fact no comedy happened at all in that year other than some private backyard shows.

Fast forward to 2021 where we were all just trying to get back to normal, comedy was a slow grind once again. I found myself back on the upswing of comedy until August of 2022 when I broke my back after an incident at work. I ended up being in the hospital for 30 days and had 2 back surgeries, the next year was spent recovering and learning how to walk and function again.

One night laying in the hospital alone, I thought to myself “this can’t be it for me” and decided to pack up and move to Austin Texas to chase my dreams of becoming a full time professional stand-up comedian. No matter what adversities I’ve faced in my life I never gave up. At 39 I have moved my entire life to Austin and have been working to get established in the comedy scene here. In the meantime, you can catch me on the road throughout the year doing comedy in places most people have never heard of! Did you even know Wyoming was a place?!

Moral of the story is, never ever give up on yourself no matter how hard life gets.

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

I’m not a famous comedian, in fact I’m just a regular guy trying to make it. But every now and then after a show I’ll have someone come up to me and tell me how I made their night. I remember one in particular where I had gotten off stage at a bar show in Orange County, a woman came up to me after the show to tell me she had recently lost her mother and that being able to laugh that night made her forget about it just for a few minutes.

This is the most rewarding thing we can hear, better than any money or social media attention in my opinion.

I did not get into stand up comedy because I wanted to be famous or rich, I got into it because I was a lonely kid who just wanted to laugh, and when I was able to laugh I forgot about my dad not being around, or the fact that I didn’t have a lot of friends. Knowing I could affect someones life in that way made me realize that I am here for a reason. Nothing means more to me than knowing on any given night I could help someone forget about their problems, even if just for a few minutes.

I just want to make people laugh, make them happy, and make them forgot that sometimes the world sucks.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I believe I can speak for a lot of creatives when I say the most resilient thing about me is that I can keep going in the face of adversity. I have had many people tell me I will never make it, that I’m not funny enough, that there is just too much competition. In my first year of comedy I encountered a very bitter person who would go out of their way to remind me that I would never perform in real comedy clubs and that I would only ever be a “open micer”, that pushed me in the opposite direction and I ended up earning my way into hosting a sold out show at the Irvine Improv only 6 months into my comedy career.

Nothing felt better than knowing this person had to watch that, that they didn’t break me but in fact pushed me to work harder. Nobody can decide your future but you, never let negative attitudes or opinions dictate where you’re going. Push through, hit the gas, and leave them in the dust.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dompierno.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/extendedmidget/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/dom.thebomb.7/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dom-pierno-41104b1a4/