We were lucky to catch up with Stacey Steele recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stacey , appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I think I always knew I was meant to be a performer, but society tells us we need to have a “backup plan”. For many years, I had so many different jobs in various fields and never quite had the direction to be able to earn a living entertaining. Eventually I figured out that I also loved fitness and teaching which would serve very well as a supplement to being on stage – and bonus – being up in front of my classes was very similar to being on stage! I got certified and soon became a certifier (aka I trained the trainers on how to train) for thousands of fitness instructors in South Florida. I also did some acting, voice over work, radio, and other part time work to help pay my bills while trying to ‘make it’. I realized that all of these part time gigs were actually in the creative field and Voila! I was technically making a living as a full time entertainer.

Some time later, I decided to consolidate. Covid kind of forced my hand as well, but it was almost like a blessing in disguise. I needed focus. With teaching fitness no longer a viable option for my situation, I dove into comedy full time. Right before the pandemic hit I had started headlining in some of the larger comedy clubs. My parents saw pictures of me online with guests not wearing masks and they asked me to find another place to live due to some health issues they were going through. I put my nose to the grindstone and started producing comedy shows locally. I cried. A lot. I reached out to other comedians for advice. I studied hard and made it my business to make my business flourish.

Thank goodness comedy didn’t die during that time because I was actually able to go full time doing what I truly love and finally earned enough to get my own place. The more shows I produced, the more work I got from bringing other comics onto my shows. I learned that hard work is just as important as being funny and that who you know is most definitely a thing. Networking is probably the most important thing in any business, not just entertainment. All of these things combined helped me level up. I don’t think the process would have or should have been sped up; everything happens just as its supposed to.

Viva la stand up!

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

I grew up in Long Island, New York, working a full-time job while singing and playing the keys in bands, doing off-Broadway shows and traveling with other musical groups. Eventually, I moved to Florida to start over (with almost nothing) from a divorce and then an abusive relationship while falling into an awful drug addiction. When I got here, I decided to become a personal trainer and fitness model to help combat my addiction, all the while dreaming about performing again. I got back on stage competing in fitness and then performing in bands and shows in my area. Soon my love of music and comedy took hold and I began my journey into Standup Comedy.

Now I’ve been doing comedy on the road and locally for about eleven years. I finally found myself (again) after another bad breakup. I decided to teach myself how to play the guitar so I could revamp my act and master performing the many song parodies I had written for family and friends as a young adult without having to schlep a keyboard all over the country. In my travels, I was asked to write a new parody song every month to keep my local shows fresh and exciting. It was a challenge, but I faced it head on and it helped me grow tremendously. I still force myself to write a new song parody monthly and if I miss one, I’ll write two the following month. Recently, I was just named “the Parody Prodigy” by a show producer – I think I’ll keep that name…

Lastly, I needed to bring my platform into play; how could I make people laugh while teaching them about drug addiction and mental health issues? I became an advocate for hedgehogs as Emotional Support Animals (ESA’s) and now I incorporate “Hedge-U-cation” into my act. You can read more about my hedgehog obsession on my website and see pics of my babies on IG, FB, and all the socials.

I am so proud of my journey as a standup comic and musician. I try to keep myself unique by being true to my platform and helping people follow their dreams as well. I run several rooms where I love to put comics on stage to challenge them and help them grow. I also love teaching people about Hedgehogs, aka “Hedge-U-cation”. They’re the most amazing little creatures on planet earth and I want to mother all of them! I do an entire portion of my show about Hedgies as ESA’s and the importance of Emotional Support Animals for people with mental health issues. Some of my hedgehog pals from all over the world are helping me to petition the airlines because hedgehogs are no longer allowed as ESA’s on planes. We need to hedgeucate everyone so they understand why ESA”s are so important in all different situations!

You can help support our cause through our big heads at Fathead! We have big heads of Aria the Hedgehog, Picasso the Hedgehog and yep, you guessed it – me. That was one of the strangest things I’ve ever received in the mail…a giant head of myself! You can see all of our products on the Fathead website here: www.fathead.com/collections/stacey-steele

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being an artist means I almost always have an audience. Therefore, my voice can be heard more than most and I have to choose what I share carefully and respectfully. I think it’s very important in today’s society to listen with an open mind and try not to judge what the people are saying. Now being a comic, I’m supposed to ‘judge’ people on a regular basis! I don’t have a problem being what some might deem offensive, but there has to be a happy balance between me sharing my truth and being funny while not hurting my audience. They’re the ones who pay my bills!

That being said, I have two things that specifically make me blissful.

First, I love when I have the audience in the palm of my hands listening intently, laughing and getting what I have to say. It makes me feel both heard and understood, which in today’s climate is very hard to come by. We all desperately need to laugh right now. And there’s nothing better than being able to make people laugh.

Second, I absolutely adore helping people. Whether it’s giving other comedians stage time at my produced shows to hone their craft or hedgeucating people so they can raise better hedgehogs, I’m at my best when I’m teaching and helping people grow.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Artists have been underpaid for eons! We all work so hard to entertain the masses, often obstructing our own paths by taking crappy gigs that pay very little or nothing at all. I recently read an article that mentioned comedians have not had raises in over 40 years! How nuts is that? Would you work at the bank for chicken wings and two beers? Let me answer that – HELL NO! So why should entertainers be paid in food and drinks?

So many of us have had to get part time or even full time jobs and do comedy on the side to support ourselves while trying to get to a place where we can actually get paid to perform. And once we do get to a level where we get paid, it’s so minute that we need to keep working to be able to live a somewhat normal existence. Plus, after we go to our said ‘job’ and work on new material, by the time we’re done, the day is over and we have no time left for ourselves.

If anyone is reading this who wants to be more supportive, please do your research and hire a professional for a legitimate salary. When we have merchandise, please help the cause by purchasing a shirt or a cd or a dvd or even a pencil eraser. Every little bit does help when you’re trying to scrape your rent together…end rant!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.staceysteele.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/staceysteele13
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/staceysteelelive
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/staceysteele13
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/staceysteele13
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/StaceySteele13
• Other: You can help support our cause through our big heads at Fathead! You can see all of our products on the Fathead website here: www.fathead.com/collections/stacey-steele

Image Credits
Allison McCoin Jeff Kreiner, LMAO Stacey Steele