Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Gordon.
I always thought I was a “jack of all trades, master of none” type because I spent my 20’s in Chicago jumping from part-time gig to part-time gig. I worked in radio, I was a nanny, I wrote book reviews, I drove a food truck and I had no idea what I wanted.
I took classes at Second City, eventually started hanging out at open mics and at first, it was just another experiment in figuring out who I was but it quickly became apparent that it was what I had been looking for. I made a website and business cards for myself within the first six months, which in hindsight was a little overeager, but also on brand for me. I have always been an ambitious person, which is a more flattering way of saying that I desperately need to keep busy.
I like making things and I feel my best when I’m elbows deep in projects, which can be frustrating in an industry mostly based on waiting to be discovered. I quickly realized that I didn’t want to wait for people to offer opportunities to me, so I started doing what I could to create my own. All that hustling led to founding my company, Windy Peach Comedy, which produces live shows, teaches classes and creates videos.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Do you know how there are those parts of Atlanta where it goes from pavement to cobblestone then back to the pavement? That has pretty much been my path.
While I was living in Chicago I started a handful of shows, which didn’t last long, but did teach me a lot about producing, and eventually, those skills were channeled into booking small tours around the US and it all led me to Atlanta in 2016. It was a tough move, not only because I left just weeks before the Cubs won the World Series, but because I was starting from scratch personally and professionally.
I struggled at first- I couldn’t find a good job, I burned a bridge with a booker over sexual harassment, but eventually, I found my footing writing for a news satire show and two years later… it got canceled. Then I got invited to teach comedy writing at a theater…which soon after shut down.
The fastest lesson you learn in comedy is that nothing is guaranteed- You get booked, then you get bumped. You actually get on stage, then you bomb. You find a gig you love, the venue burns down. Powering through the bad and knowing when it’s time to move on to the next thing are important lessons you never stop learning.
Please tell us about Don’t Tell Comedy.
Don’t Tell started as a secret backyard show in 2017 and in just two years has grown into a national pop-up happening across 30 cities. They hire passionate people like me as local producers and we have been able to put on almost 500 secret shows since it all started. The line-up and location are a secret until the day of and the only way to find out is to buy tickets. Locations change every show and can happen pretty much anywhere- we’ve done shows as small as 30 people in a living room or as big as 300 in a tech startup. The shows are always BYOB and have been a unique way to connect within our community.
By hosting the show in a different location every time, we get to showcase local businesses while providing a unique and intimate experience to the audience. The very nature of having to locate a secret show strikes up a conversation and I feel like I see more people interacting with each other at Don’t Tell shows than I do at other performances, which makes it a really special part of the community.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could go back and do things over, I think I would take my time to enjoy the beginning a little more. When you’re trying to fulfill a goal, you can get tunnel vision about it. Sometimes that focus is a good thing but looking back, I feel like my ambition clouded my appreciation for what I already had.
It sounds cliche but it’s important to remember that even when you’re struggling, there will be a day when you look back on that time in your life and miss it. If you do things right, careers are very long, so why not take your time and enjoy the process?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.donttellcomedy.com/
- Email: Atlanta@donttellcomedy.com
Image Credit:
Headshot: Lola Scott
Live photos: Ashton Garner
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