Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Hughes.
Katie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
As a kid, everyone said I was a Tom Boy, but now I’m a full-grown Thomas Man. I was born in South Florida, but I grew up in a small town called Flat Rock, North Carolina which was very boring. If you visit, the Travel and Tourism Center has suggestions like “You can go to Walmart, or you can go to bed!”
When I was in high school, I was both very poor and socially awkward, so you could catch me in the middle of that Venn Diagram eating free lunch with my Creative Writing teacher. She was in her mid-fifties and recently divorced. Despite the age difference, we had a lot in common. For starters, boys didn’t like either of us. So every day, I would bring my chicken ring things or my rectangle of pizza into her empty classroom where she would tell me about her dreams. I don’t mean her goals and aspirations; she taught English in Western North Carolina; those were dead. I mean she would tell me about her chamomile-induced night terrors.
Some of the best comedy comes from really wanting something and not getting it. For example, I always had feelings for boys who didn’t know I was alive. There was one boy that I had such a crush on that I started drinking Mello Yello because that was his favorite soda. I figured if he liked Mello Yello, and I drank Mello Yello, he’d like me, too. And it feels so good to say that ten years later we are together on a kidney transplant list.
The first time I did stand up comedy was at Goodnight’s Comedy Club in Raleigh, NC. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Orlando because you know what they say, “You can take the girl out of Florida, but there will be an Amber Alert.”
After living in the comedy mecca known as Central Florida for three years, I moved to Chicago. The plan was to do stand-up there, but I fell in with a bad crowd and started doing improv. Stand-up took a back seat while I attended and graduated from Second City’s Improv Conservatory, as well as their Advanced Sketch Writing Program. While I lived in Chicago and Orlando, I would visit Atlanta and do spots at places like Laughing Skull Lounge and The Hangar (RIP). The comedians I met were really funny on stage and genuinely nice off stage. (In comedy, nice is a euphemism for not funny, but these comics were both!) After my fourth Midwest winter, I decided that Atlanta was the place for me, so packed up my chihuahua named Raisin, and moved here.
What’s most unique about me, as a comedian, is that my chihuahua is my manager. She’s hungry and keeps me on the grind. Whenever I don’t feel like going out to a show, Raisin says “Get out there and make some money! How are you ever going to pay for my legal defense when I eventually bite a toddler whose parents aren’t watching it?” When I go to bed at night, I thank god for Raisin and pray that one day I’ll be rich enough to where my dog can chomp on some children.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m very silly and snarky, so if I had to describe my act, I’d say it’s like watching a mean Muppet. A lot of my jokes start out sounding like a feminist manifesto, but in the end, they’re just dick jokes. As far as generating material goes, I write about anything that elicits a strong emotional response in me because that’s usually what gets the biggest reaction out of others. I always like my newest jokes the best, so I’m constantly tweaking older jokes in my act to make them fun for me to tell.
My goal when I’m telling jokes on stage is for the audience’s stomach to hurt they’re laughing so hard. I truly want a roomful of strangers in tears and gasping for air. That’s a normal thing to aspire to, right? I think if I focus on just being really, really funny and just send a couple of emails every now-and-again, everything will work out.
I hope when people come to my shows their takeaway is my merch: an R. Land-inspired t-shirt with Raisin on it, available at www.katiehughescomedy.com/merch.
One of the most helpful tools, which I recommend to every comedian I talk to for longer than three minutes, is a book called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It’s a 12-week workbook that focuses on unlocking your creativity and silencing your censor. There’s an exercise called “morning pages” where you free write three pages long-hand as soon as you wake up. Morning pages are part of my daily ritual because it helps expel some of my self-criticism and allows me to be more creative throughout the day.
Right now, besides doing live comedy, I’m trying to get into the film industry. I recently pitched a show to Bravo! The working title is “Frisbee Golf Wives.” It’s just four iguanas in wigs with vape pens. I also auditioned for a Coca-Cola commercial for the role of a flirtatious female. The line was something like, “Hey boy, if you think this drink is soft… wait until you feel my teeth.” Most exciting of all is that I was just cast as the lead in a remake of the movie “Pretty Woman.” It’s called “OK Lady.” I think it’s coming out straight to VHS.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think the biggest challenge facing artists in Atlanta is the lack of a proper public transportation system. It would be really great to take the bus to a show, instead of waiting for a bus that never arrives and then calling a Lyft. (This has happened to me. Thanks again, #2 Bus!) We live in the 10th fastest growing city in America. You’d think a girl could catch a train home after a late show and listen to her set while feeling good about helping the environment, but it’s simply not convenient or time-efficient.
I think the biggest challenge for artists, specifically comedians, is how short everyone’s attention span seems to be these days. Maybe it’s just me, but what were we talking about?
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I run a weekly open mic at Noni’s on Edgewood every Tuesday, 9:30 PM.
I host the open mic at the Laughing Skull Lounge every Wednesday, 8 PM.
I produce a monthly showcase called “Bangers & Mash” at The Stratford in Avondale Estates, every third Saturday. The next show is on June 15 at 8:30 PM.
In May, I’m featuring for Matt Braunger at Laughing Skull Lounge May 16 & 17.
You can also find me at Laughing Skull Comedy Festival May 9-12.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katiehughescomedy.com
- Email: katiehughescomedy@gmail.com
- Instagram: @katiebruise
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/katiehughescomedy
- Twitter: @katiebruise
- Other: Venmo: @katiebruise
Image Credit:
Lola Scott
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