I’ve shared with you the value of mentors and this resource actually came from conversations with Ron Ferguson, a ridiculously hilarious comedian out of the Denver area. Bill Hicks was a famous stand-up comedian and social critic who was listed as the 19^th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central in 2004. Below is a list of the principles of comedy he taught, of which I think all represent a very concise way to look at stand-up comedy in a very skimming-the-surface fashion.

1. If you can be yourself on stage nobody else can be you and you have the law of supply and demand covered.

2. The act is something you fall back on if you can't think of anything else to say.

3. Only do what you think is funny, never just what you think they will like, even though it's not that funny to you.

4. Never ask them is this funny - you tell them this is funny.

5. You are not married to any of this shit - if something happens, taking you off on a tangent, NEVER go back and finish a bit, just move on.

6. NEVER ask the audience "How You Doing?" People who do that can't think of an opening line. They came to see you to tell them how they're doing, asking that stupid question up front just digs a whole. This is The Most Common Mistake made by performers. I want to leave as soon as they say that.

7. Write what entertains you. If you can't be funny be interesting. You haven't lost the crowd. Have something to say and then do it in a funny way.

8. I close my eyes and walk out there and that's where I start, Honest.

9. Listen to what you are saying, ask yourself, "Why am I saying it and is it Necessary?" (This will filter all your material and cut the unnecessary words, economy of words)

10. Play to the top of the intelligence of the room. There aren't any bad crowds, just wrong choices.

11. Remember this is the hardest thing there is to do. If you can do this you can do anything.

12. I love my cracker roots. Get to know your family, be friends with them.

Informal mentors are often peers or people you feel that can teach you a lot of what you need to know, you can bounce ideas off of, and there is not a lot of pressure around. A more formal mentor might be the head of a local comedy club or someone you are really looking to solidify a connection with in order to get more involved in the local comedy scene. Simply absorb all of the information thrown at you and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I have learned countless tidbits from Denver comedians Paul Berlute-Shea, Matt Baca, Ron Ferguson, Elliot Woolsey, Jordan Zuckerman, and Deacon Gray. I can’t even begin to tell you.  Get some peer mentors as well, people your own age and those you can grow with. Chad Neidt has to be one of my favorite comedians to simply sit and talk about comedy with. (Yep, ended a sentence with a preposition - by choice.) That can prove to be invaluable in the growth of your comedy career.

Establishing a mentor also puts you into a grander network of comedians, both local and nationwide. It was through establishing my mentors that I have been able to find the right people to answer my questions about certain shows I might be interested in doing, venues at which I am looking to perform, etc. Your first time on stage, you should look to meet as many people as you can, and the second time on stage, you will likely see those people again and begin to establish that relationship. I make it a habit to sit next to a new comedian or two at every open mic I go to, not because I dislike the other ones that I’ve already met, but just because I am looking to meet new people, learn new things, and gather new perspectives.

This weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to see Brian Regan at the Wells Fargo Theater in Denver, in the center of the 7th row. Not only is Brian the cleanest comic many can name on the circuit, he also brought in a sold out crowd of people ranging from probably 7 years old to about 60 + years old. Pretty impressive. As a special treat, his older brother, Dennis opened for him. I looked behind me as the lights dimmed. I turned to Anne, my gorgeous date and beautiful girlfriend, and told her, “THIS is what I dream of doing one day – being on stage in front of this many people and making them laugh and happy.” She quickly informed me that THIS was every comedian’s dream. The fact of the matter is, seeing the best stand-up comic show of my life a few nights ago has inspired me to continue working even harder to try and get where I want to be with comedy.

I am also in the process of reading “The Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. I don’t know why I haven’t read this earlier, but I just haven’t gotten out to buying it until a friend offered it to me. It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an master at whatever it is you do. Am I currently a master at anything? Sure. I’ve spent countless hours over the past 24 years being lazy. However, I think I’m in a pretty big crowd of people who can make the same claim of expertise. The good and bad thing about comedy is that there is a level of ambiguity as to WHAT that 10,000 hours of effort really needs to be put towards. Is it 10,000 hours of writing? Being on stage? Making people laugh? Networking and being around the comedy scene? I think it is a combination of all of those. I am remarkably lucky to not be forced into being funny in order to live right now, as I have a full-time job outside of comedy. Notably though, to my detriment, I do not have the time to focus on writing for comedy and getting on stage. I don’t need to, so it’s not always first on my mind. While many others are sitting with pen and paper, thinking of new jokes to craft, I am “relaxing” throughout the workweek , merely writing down the funny things that I encounter in my life.

The important thing is to remind ourselves of where we want to be with our passions. Do I want to be at Brian Regan’s level REALLY? No. Do I want to let my passion play itself out at a higher level than it does now? Most definitely. With that, comes the practice that I need to put in, and the idea that sometimes, putting too many things on our plate at once can lead to an increasing amount of time to get to our end-goal of expertise and contribution. That doesn’t mean we can cut the hours necessary to perform at that level short. However, being funny in the right place and at the right time can certainly help in one’s success. To plan out that scenario isn’t always something we can do. The only thing we can do is prepare for when that moment may come, else work even harder to achieve the level of expertise we desire.

I took the method of routine and commitment. Comedy Works has new comedians start by calling their hotline (303.477.7844) each week in an attempt to break onto the stage. The hotline also spouts out the names of the lucky 11-12 people that will be on the stage that week. You have to call in approximately 8-10 solid consecutive weeks prior to even getting on for just two minutes. I made a time each Wednesday to call into the hotline and leave simply my name, “Trent Gillaspie” and a polite, “Thank You.” This kept me in check each week, and also kept me thinking about my material for my first two minutes on stage. When you get to Week 9 and call in to say your name, only to find out that Trent Gillaspie is on the list, THAT is your sense of commitment to the comedy scene. If you let them down, they might kill you.

There is no backing down now. You’d feel too guilty not to go through with it. It’s the moment of truth. You call up your friends and family and tell them to go down and mention your name to get complimentary tickets, and you check in at the front desk 30 minutes before the show. If you are like me (and I know I am), then you’ll gauge down 5-6 pint glasses of water prior to going on stage to prevent dry mouth, and you’ll anxiously run over your lines and jokes behind the curtain until that ever-daunting moment of your name being called by the emcee comes. You have to go on stage and you have to maintain your composure.

The first time is different for everyone (I know, I know. Make your sex jokes now.) The greatest feeling though is actually getting through it. I rushed through my first two minutes on stage. RUSHED. Going back and looking at the video, I didn’t even have time to think, AND I didn’t account for laughter from the crowd in between my jokes, so I went about 15 seconds over the strict 2 minute limit. Many clubs WILL signal with a light when you have a 15-30 second grace period, and then cut the lights and mic when you are out of time. Don’t let it happen to you. I have even had the misfortune of watching it demolish a comedian’s chances in the Denver New Talent Competition. It is a ridiculous rush though. Not unlike soldier’s marching towards each other in the Revolutionary War, no shielding or stopping of the march, simply shooting at each other to kill those on the other side, and then winning and going out for shots of whiskey after the battle. Too soon? Probably not. Irrelevant? Welcome to my site.

Heck, I even got a free drink from another comedian after my first time on stage. What is better than that? If you don’t feel like you are prepared to get out and be on stage, just remember the 80-20 rule. If you’re 80% of the way there, it’s much better to go out and do it, as opposed to waiting for that extra 20% to come along over the next few weeks/months/years. Plus, getting on stage will be a great way to see if what you’ve been making your friends laugh with for the past few years is actually funny to the greater audience. If you are in Denver, go HERE and get started with Comedy Works.

Seem too intimidating for you? In the near future, I will be posting a local Denver Comedy calendar of open mics you can go check out. Heck, I’ll even talk about some of the specifics and the nature of each open mic as I know it, which is where I will ask a lot of my fellow comedians already on the scene for their input. I have come to LOVE the Denver scene and that is what makes getting out there so easy with a group of great people to fall back on and connect with to get your footing.

I welcome commentary and feedback throughout the process, as that is one of the quickest ways to grow in the community. Thank you for beginning the journey with me.