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

Hi Ben, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
At this moment in time, as a 25 year old aspiring stand-up comedian, I would describe success as being able to make a living solely off performing stand up comedy.

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.
When people think “art” the first thing that pops into their head probably isn’t stand up comedy. Which is understandable. Art is supposed to evoke emotion, be thought provoking, used to convey an important or deeply personal message, and to be taken seriously. Comedy does all of that, with the exception of it’s not meant to be taken seriously by the people consuming it.
There is a lot you can do in stand up. On the spectrum of “Traditional” to “Alternative” to “Experimental” people usually say i fall into the category of “Alt Comic” which I pride myself on. It’s a double edged sword though, because when I’m on a show with say 8 other comics my set will often be much different than the other comics that go up. Which will make it stand out sure, but that’s either because they were on board with something a little weird, or confused and annoyed about some guy talking about eating birdseed and batteries. Which I totally understand! The sooner you except the subjective nature of stand up and not take it personally, the better off you are.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A bit touristy but i love the griffith observatory. It’s the best view of Los Angeles and really shows how vast the city is. As far as restaurants my go to staples would be Phillipes, Canters, The Prince, and El Compadre. My favorite bar in LA has to be Boardners in Hollywood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without my good friend and colleague Dante Gonzalez-Abreu I wouldn’t be where I am in comedy today.

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