Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Lockwood.
Annie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a kid, my career aspirations were to be an actress, radio DJ, stand up comedian, and roller-skating waitress. So far, I have done/am doing all those things except one. I have always enjoyed being a ham and entertaining people. In college, I got an internship at WERC Birmingham, a local AM/FM station, to work on a Saturday morning home improvement radio show. After one or two shifts, my boss decided to put me on air and I stayed on talking about home improvement (without owning a home) for over four years. After college, I took a job that I did not enjoy at all. A year later, I took a leap of faith and decided to pursue a career in the film industry. My first gig was an unpaid “internship” at a production company which ended up being a great crash course in all things film. I did everything from special effects makeup, location scouting, craft services, extras casting, to cleaning toilets. After that, I took jobs working on shows on TNT and Fox and all sorts of in-between gigs. All the while, something was nudging me to finally try my hand at stand up comedy. I signed up for the open mic at the Laughing Skull Lounge and was immediately hooked. About two years in, I decided I wanted a new challenge and began producing several live comedy shows around Atlanta. I take a lot of risks and keep my hands full at all times. I never would have expected that now I am working as a casting associate producer, wardrobe stylist assistant, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, live comedy show producer, and not as a roller-skating waitress.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road had a bridge that was blown up and I had to take a motorcycle to jump over it. In late 2016, I started getting severe headaches, dizziness, vertigo, and cognitive issues. I went to countless doctors and could not get any answers until February 2017 when I was diagnosed with IIH (idiopathic intracranial hypertension). What that means is I have increased intracranial pressure caused by too much cerebral spinal fluid. I have an excess amount of fluid due to a medicine I took for many years for acne. To treat it, I take pretty harsh medicine and I occasionally have to get lumbar punctures to drain excess fluid from my spine. So, I am essentially a human maple tree. Gross, I know.
IIH has caused me to miss work, comedy shows, and can cause me to forget jokes I am about to say or what I was doing. Part of me is grateful for it because each flare-up makes me appreciative for the times I am able to be in the moment and not be in pain. Having an illness that is not visible or not common (roughly 200,000 documented cases) can be frustrating because people don’t know what’s really going on with me.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Since I have my hand in so many pots: casting, wardrobe, acting, stand up, comedy show producing I want to be known that I care about the quality of what I do and that I am willing to make bold choices.
In the shows I produce, my goal is to make sure everyone feels comfortable and safe. For over three years, I have been producing Comedy on Draught at Three Taverns Brewery in Decatur. I absolutely love their beer and getting to bring the best comedians from Atlanta and occasional out of towners to their tasting room. Breweries and comedy can skew a little guy-centric, and my goal is to make beer and comedy something everyone can enjoy. The show is the last Wednesday of the month and I’m really glad I get to work with their staff and tasting room manager Amy Stringham to make this a really special space.
8-Bit Comedy at Joystick Gamebar is a show I have been producing and hosting also for over three years. It’s in one of the smallest comedy spaces in Atlanta but boasts one of the most engaging and intimate comedy experiences. Rolling Stone even named 8-Bit as “One of the Coolest Things to Discover in Atlanta” which was really cool.
Quarterly, Ian Aber, Shelly Schmalls, and I co-produce and host a variety show at the Laughing Skull Lounge called ABCD (A Burlesque Comedy Drag) Show. It’s a blast getting to showcase some of the burlesque performers like Royal T, drag queens like RuPaul’s Drag Race Alum Dax Exclamationpoint and comedians dropping in like Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, Always Sunny, Night School). It’s really important to me that we get to showcase how talented the LGBTQ+ community is here in Atlanta.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
For my comedy career, it’s really hard to pinpoint one moment because what I picture in my head is a quilt of small moments patched together. It’s doing a curtain call at the end of ABCD, it’s getting to be a “regular” on Star Bar for six months, it’s getting to see my friends succeed, it’s getting to put on Comedy on Draught each month, and it’s each time I go out of town to perform.
For my career in the film industry, my proudest moment thus far is being a member of WIFTA (Women In Film and Television Association) and having the privilege to speak on a panel at Dragon Con in 2018. Luckily, I will be doing so again this year. Being a woman in the film industry in the state of Georgia is a challenge and something I am equally proud of.
Pricing:
- Comedy on Draught at Three Taverns: $13 for two craft beers and stand-up comedy show
Contact Info:
- Website: cornbabycomedy.com
- Email: annielockwood7@gmail.com
- Instagram: @annielowo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cornbabycomedy/
Image Credit:
Project Q Magazine (main image), Lola Scott (green/teal headshot)
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