Today we’d like to introduce you to Holden Schneider.
Hi Holden, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got into stand-up because I was obsessed with comedy from a young age—not just watching it, but studying it. I loved comparing how comedians were funny compared to how my friends were funny in everyday conversation. Since I was about nine, comedy shows were one of my favorite things in the world.
Growing up around Baltimore and D.C., my dad would sneak me and my brother into local comedy clubs. We got to know club owners and staff, and they’d usually let us hang around—so long as the comics were cool with having kids in the crowd. We only got kicked out twice, which, given our age and the content we were exposed to, is honestly a pretty impressive stat.
I’ve lived all over Georgia since 2013, but I officially started performing stand-up in Atlanta after college, once I moved back to the city. Atlanta was a blessing of a place to start. There are so many different perspectives, cultures, and personalities here—it’s like a live comedy workshop happening every night of the week.
That access to such a wide range of audiences made a big difference. One of the biggest challenges when you’re starting out in comedy is figuring out both your voice and who you’re speaking to. Being able to perform for so many different types of crowds helped me grow a lot faster. Whether it’s a dive bar, a black box theater, or a music festival, Atlanta trains you to be sharp, adaptable, and real. You can’t fake it here, and that’s helped me shape material that really connects with all kinds of people.
Before stand-up, I was deep in the Esports world. I played Counter-Strike competitively and streamed games and events—so in a way, I was already developing my “entertainment voice” without realizing it.. When I realized stand-up was the creative path I really wanted to take, I left my corporate sales job and jumped into it full-time. For the past three years, I’ve been fortunate enough to tour and perform all over the country. It’s been just as anxiety-inducing as it has been exciting, especially with the financial reality early on—but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
My writing tends to be shaped by my environment—physically and mentally. Right now, my material is very anecdotal. I pull from real-life moments and try to make them entertaining. Even when I explore something that feels disconnected or abstract, I work to build a narrative around it that fits naturally into whatever story is unfolding onstage. It’s strange to say, but I’ve lived a lot in my not-quite-30 years, so there’s rarely a moment I can’t somehow make funny—or at least relatable.
In the beginning, I was more into pushing boundaries. I liked sitting in the discomfort before landing the punchline. A lot of my early material dealt with things like drugs, body image, racism, hate, and insecurity. Often the punchline would be a reversal of the opinion I presented at first—it was all about flipping expectations and making people confront the topics they usually avoid.
I still touch on some of those themes, but my approach has changed. These days, I’m less interested in shocking people and more into challenging their perspectives—getting them to reconsider their assumptions, rather than just reacting to mine.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Comedy (much like every live entertainment medium) is always a bumpy road. You are constantly being told what you are missing and what you need to sound like but at the end of the day you only really grow when you find a way to do what you want. I was told a lot early on that I talk too fast about things that people don’t want to hear and if you asked me now I would say I’m faster, funnier, and talking about just as crazy situations.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Im a stand-up comedian, actor & event/show host. Right now I mainly focus on standup because it doesn’t require any additional production to be taking place and I can book shows on my own schedule. However hosting is something I thrive in. I love curating the in-between moments that have to right to be funny but are so relevant to the situation that it flows like a script
Contact Info:
- Website: https://HoldenItTogether.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holden_it_together?igsh=bGNrdnNoaXRiemNq
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@holden-it-together?si=sP6y8saubC6z4aXr
