Meet Joshua Coley | Stand Up Comedian and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Coley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I moved here from Seattle to do stand up comedy, it was right after the pandemic had lifted and masks and Vax cards were everyday items so there weren’t a lot of spots that were doing open mics or live comedy in LA at that time. I couldn’t wait to do comedy so I remembered talking with a bunch of comics one night after a rare open mic about it and I worked at a bar with a large outdoor area so I decided why wait for someone else to produce this thing that I want so badly now. And The Comedy College was born in that moment of desire. I believe we were the 2nd comedy open mic to start up post-pandemic on the west side of LA.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I always knew I wanted to write. I grew up writing poetry and reading like crazy. Science fiction and fantasy mostly. So I thought for the longest that that was my calling. After being in the Marines out of high-school and working any job as long as it wasn’t boring I fancied myself the next great American novelist. Lol. It wasn’t until I was 30 that I was loving in Seattle and went up at a stand up open mic for the first time. I went initially because my co workers at the bar I worked at all begged me to do it and they said that they would all come. So I did. And they didn’t.i would come to find out that that is how it is with open mics. But I remember that after I came off stage and sat down I had a pins and needles warm flush through out my entire body and I heard myself think in my head. “Yes, this is what I’ve been searching for” and I felt a sense of having walked a long distance and found the thing I was searching for. Only, the thing I was searching for turned out to be a mountain and the journey was only starting again for me.
My goal at first was just to get good enough to not feel like a stranger in a strange land. That didn’t take as long as it seemed at the time especially after seeing thousands of comedians come and go at this point in my career. I was already used to writing on my own so I think that helped a lot. Just sitting and writing every day. That was key for me. After that my goal was to get a good 5 mins together which I did. Then my goal became to move to LA and do this for real and sharpen myself against the best in the world. And then. Boom. The pandemic hit and I was stuck. I ended up becoming a social worker and case manager for homeless veterans during the pandemic and I found that so fulfilling and helpful to where I was and what I could do for people at that time. This was during the CHOP and exclusion zone in Seattle that I lived 3 blocks away from. It was a wild period of time in the city. And I lived in the center of that chaos helping where I could with who I could and it ended up really giving me some comedic perspective. As a person too but as an artist that experience helped me to realize that everyone wants to laugh if they can keep from crying. I was able to resch people who would normally not even talk to me and because of the shared social experiences we were having and placement of me in their space, I was able to help both as a social worker finding housing for people that needed it and also making sure that they always found a way to laugh a little around me. It was very rewarding.
As soon as they lifted the travel ban in March 2021 I left and made LA my home.
One thing that I’ve learned in this business is to never judge a book by its cover. People surprise you in many ways if you let them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to mels for breakfast. The santa monica one not hollywood. Then we would hit santi alley or maybe venice boardwalk skate some or walk around. Then we would have to hit up this taco truck by the 711 in culver city where i live and take the train into hollywood and check out the comedy store or laugh factory. Then the next day do weho and beverly center because its fun to walk through and window shop. Then later we could hit kingshead or Britannia in santa monica or also The Whaler love that spot. Then we would go to a little spot I like in Malibu called Point Dume and see the sun set and talk about when they plan on moving here. Lol

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Micheal Head was a big help just being further ahead as a comedian than I was and being a someone who had experience running shows. I was just diving in and taking it as it came problem wise, but it was great to have him there to pull me back or push me further where needed. Also thank you to the brittainia pub and kingshead pub in Santa Monica where this journey began. The Brit provided us with the open mic spot and Kingshead allowed us to run attend shows out of the back tea room there which was a beautiful spot to have.

Instagram: @comedian_joshy @thecomedycollege

Youtube: TheComedyCollege

Image Credits
Austen Silver Steven Lit