Source: Talk Is Jericho — Derrick Stroup Is Running Hot Across America!
Duration: 57 min
Nate Bargatze mentorship
Nobody gives back more than Nate Bargatze. He's the most generous guy I know in comedy. He shines that light on his comedian friends solely just to give back.
I'm in Nate Bargatze's movie, The Breadwinner, which is awesome. He has me open for him a good bit in these arenas. I mean, that's 20,000 people. He might as well be handing me money.
Comedy craft
Some people call crowd work lazy. I don't know. I think that we just swap when we do our hard work. When I write, I go on stage and the hard part's been done. If you're a crowd work guy, your work starts when you hold the mic.
Stand-up comedy culture
When I go on stage at the cellar, I'm playing mainly to my peers more than the crowd. Back of the room is Todd Berry and who knows, Louis C.K. might be standing back there. I'm trying to crush for those guys.
Acting career
I've done six or seven unbelievable auditions for movies and stuff, and I blew them all. I did terrible on all of them. And now I have an acting coach.
Handling hecklers
I've had a couple of bad hecklers. But it ends pretty quick. I think about how, unfortunately, I'm the one that raises the stakes immediately. I go, 'Hey man, this isn't what you want to do. We're not even going to get security involved. It's going to be over quick.'
Comedy career growth
I got passed at the cellar. I love that club. And if I can be funny as a southern comedian in New York City, then my jokes are going to work anywhere.
Career aspirations
I don't dream of the arena. That's not something I dream of. I'm not delusional. If that happens, that's great. But I just stay focused.
Comedy writing philosophy
Denver taught me that you're not allowed to be a bully on stage. It taught me how to write to a room and not look like I'm just not having any thoughtful writing.
Career and life moves
I'm going to eventually move to Nashville and me and my wife will put our roots down there. It's 90 minutes from where I grew up. New York City is a tough place to raise a kid.
