We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Neiko Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Neiko below.
Neiko , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My latest project for sure. Along with my co-producer Lisa Smith, we created out Show Love is Trash!
Love is Trash is a love/relationship based comedy talk show where we interview comedians, our audience & other artists on past dating/relationship misfortune.
The idea came out of Covid quarantine as both me and Lisa had gone thru breakups right before Covid hit so we both were kinda cynical about love at the time considering the circumstances.
I believe This has been a meaningful undertaking because everyone has been through something at sum point or another in the dating/love game and through comedy we can all learn from past mistakes and misfortune, while informing better choices in the future.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Well, I’m Neiko Smith. Standup comedian, show producer, and promoter.
I started standup about 7 years ago, doing whatever open mic I could to learn standup as craft and art form. After a few years I started hosting and producing my own standup shows. After a couple failures I was able to start a successful open mic show in buckhead at the Hole in the Wall.
Through connections made in standup I was able to branch of into acting aswell.
Once Covid hit hole in the wall closed down and I had to readjust and that’s when Love is Trash came about, along with me starting my production company Chkn Taco Productions, to take my shows other pursuits further in a more business minded future.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
LLCs and business accounts! I was really operating my shows pre Covid out of pocket. Could of took the show way further if I knew what I knew now.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I’ve been halfway homeless pursuing comedy for sure lol.
Earlier in my comedy journey I was so certain that’s what I wanted, I took lower paying but higher flexibility jobs so I could do comedy as much as possible. I even used to live in a dusty basement I found on Craiglist cuz it was cheap and close to all the action in the city.
I’ve been on Marta going to open mics and produced whole shows with 2$ to my name.
Bleeding for my art is an understatement.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Neikosmithcomedy Chkntacoprod Loveistrashshow
- Facebook: Neiko Smith
- Other: Neikosmithcomedy tiktok
Image Credits
Neiko smith Lisa smith