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

Hi Christine, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

You know, as a comedian and performer, I have found the best way to get stage time is to book yourself. In other words, produce your own content, then you’ll always have stage time. This is not necessarily an easy thing to do. When you create your own shows, you need a lot of talent to keep it going. Therefore, you need to have friends in the same industry who want the same things you do. Making friends, especially in LA, is not the easiest thing to do. But eventually, you do find your “tribe”and I’ve had many friends now for over 20 years. One thing to consider about moving to LA, is the cost of living. You have to delay the gratification you may be used to in your hometown. Things like having a dishwasher, a garage, a yard, laundry, parking etc. are rare. The good news is, you’ll probably have a pool! The point is, you do end up sacrificing things your hometown friends probably have. It’s a trade-off. For several years, I went out to stand-up clubs and coffeehouses nightly to find stages to perform on. I took off very few days. I continued to do this for 20 years and guess what? I have a lot of friends! Comedian friends who trust me to keep my word. They trust me to show up when I say I will and be prepared. In turn, I am able to ask favors of them to be on my shows. Makes sense, right? I currently produce 3 shows and book approximately 25 talents a month. I can do this because I did the leg work and made connections. Comedians and writers trust me to produce professional shows, and I do.
Another reason I chose the path of starting my own business is I knew I wanted to be a stay at home mother. In order to do that, I needed to work from home and keep my own hours. This was really important to me. I succeeded in raising my daughter without babysitters or nannies. She had very little pre-school and I packed her lunch and took her to school every day. I made time to be her room parent and still am. ! She’s in 8th grade now and what I am most proud of in life. I’m happy she sees me working hard and always trying to better myself, and in turn she is a bright and independent young girl.
There’s a lot to think about when you decide to start your own business. The hours are long, and you’ll have to delay gratification, but it is definitely possible. Always think about your life choices.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
This summer I celebrated the 10 year anniversary of my podcast Story Worthy. I have over 640 episodes in my back catalog and over 6 million downloads. Each week comedians and comedy writers in the entertainment industry share true, personal stories on Story Worthy. I put out a brand new episode every Tuesday. My other shows all stem from the podcast including The Story Worthy Hour of Power, and Story Smash the Storytelling Game Show LIVE ON ZOOM every Sunday night with Blaine Capatch and Danny Zuker as the “expert judges!” Join me and I guarantee you’ll laugh! Tickets and more information here. See you virtually EVERY Sunday night!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
During covid, there’s not much happening but if everything weren’t shut down, here’s the itinerary for 2 days in LA!

Day 1 Griffith Park Hike House of Pies for lunch, Walking through my neighborhood Los Feliz Check out what’s new at the Skylight Bookstore Head over to Sunset and see the Elliot Smith mural Browse my favorite dispensary in Silver Lake Live entertainment at El Cid and cocktails on the deck Catch a movie at the famous Vista Theater Drinks and live music with Marty and Elayne at the Dresden
Day 2 Let’s hit the beach! Pack a lunch and cooler of drinks Drive to Pt. Dume, Malibu (my fav beach) Boogie boarding! Swimming! Paddle ball! Scoop ball! Happy Hour at Paradise Cove Play cards on the beach Take a nap on the beach Drive home

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?
My family has supported me unconditionally. Along with my mom, I’m fortunate to have 4 sisters and a brother. They have been consistently supportive of me and encourage me all the time. They have lent me money when I needed it most, listen and watch my shows, and they spread the word about me. I haven’t been back to my hometown of Pittsburgh in over one and a half years and I miss seeing them. But luckily we’re still in close touch. My sisters text me hilarious photos and jokes and I know I can pick up the phone anytime and my brother will crack me up. Even though they’re distant, they’re always close in my heart. I don’t know if I could have accomplished anything if I didn’t have such a helpful and supportive family. Please VOTE!

Website: http://christineblackburn.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyworthy/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-blackburn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StoryWorthy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoryWorthy
Youtube: https://bit.ly/3jpZJDA
Other: https://www.storysmashshow.com/ https://www.facebook.com/christine.blackburn.10/ https://www.storyworthypodcast.com/

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