We were lucky to catch up with Pete George recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Pete, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It was in the mid 1980’s and I was playing in a band in Cleveland. I loved stand-up comedy, and the Rodney Dangerfield Young Comedians specials were airing on HBO. I decided to take a chance and see what I could do. It was a Sunday night, open mic competition at the old Cleveland Comedy Club. There were ten people on the list to perform with some already professional. We had to do ten minutes of material. I was so scared that my knees buckled right before I was introduced. Someone had to help me stand up. Lol…

You could go up every Sunday if you made it to the list. There were times when there were 30 or more people trying to get into the club to perform. A few times we had to wait up to two hours outside in the snow.

Now it’s my turn and first time on stage. I’m terrified. My ten minutes were gone in a flash. I ended up winning the competition. A big fifty dollars. You could only win the cash once a month, so I wait four weeks to go up again and I win again. I was so nervous back then that the money was my motivation. I wait another four weeks and win again. My first three times on stage were all winning and then it happened, I started to bomb. This was all good because it got my ego in check.

After two and half years of performing all over Cleveland, a local comedian-magician ask me to go on tour with him for the next couple of years. I’m so glad I made that choice. I’m now up to around 9,500 plus performances and love it more than ever.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in Cleveland during the big Rock days of music and 1980’s MTV. My father was a musician who played every weekend and was the first accordion soloist in the Army at West Point in the 1950’s. His brother, my uncle, was a national record promoter for MCA and my cousin a big rep for Atlantic records, both out of Cleveland. We had a middle-class family, both parents and two sisters.

Around the same time I started my stand-up comedy career, I began acting and booking a few plays and TV commercials. I was also fortunate that my first film role was in the Shawshank Redemption. The prison where it was filmed, in Mansfield, Ohio, was an hour from my home. I played a core-convict and worked on set for two months. I was on camera so much, they had to pull me off the last shot because the DP, Roger Deakins told the director, Frank Darabont that I was in too many scenes. “Pete is in the entire movie” Ha! Where’s my Oscar?

Regarding stand-up comedy, what sets me apart is my quirky, smart, silly humor. Fans have told me I’m refreshingly NOT politically correct. Thank God! I also use an electric guitar in half of my show, a 1979 Fender Stratocaster. This is an audience favorite and it’s great that I can combine my two loves of comedy and music.

After my show, I sell guitar pick necklaces that we design as well as guitar shape thumb drives. I contribute a portion of sales to the Dream Street Foundation for children. You can purchase the necklaces here: https://www.petegeorge.tv/shop

Besides having a successful career in entertainment, I have developed a love for photography and may have a showing sometime soon as well as make them available for purchase. My current goals are working more in Television and film and continue touring but what I am most proud of are my two adult children. I love spending time with them, and they are both wonderful people.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe the best thing society can do for artists is let them BE artists. Full self-expression! There are too many people who are offended by so much, especially in the realm of comedy. Being offended is a choice and the payoff is you get to control and dominate others. It’s really nothing more than a false sense of power. Over the years, I have had my share of “those people” and when they tell you what they are offended by, it’s never what you said but rather a story they made up about what you said.

I have noticed in the past couple of years, many more people appreciating the edginess and telling me to never back down.

Dare to make art!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect is being a contribution. For years I made my shows about me and how the audience can make me feel. A few years ago, I had a huge awaking and realized that I am here for the audience, not the other way around. It’s great to make them laugh but even greater when they leave having an experience that somehow changed their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petegeorge.tv/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petegeorgetv/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petegeorgeTV
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-george-7aa6114/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeteGeorgetv
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9zFpJo2EPlOOxDAvuTGAg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@petegeorgetv?lang=en I can be reached at: [email protected]