In November, about 20 years after starting comedy, Mike Kobin taped his first hour-long special, a major milestone in a comedian’s career.
He is extremely grateful to Milwaukee’s comedy scene and the people in it for helping him make the special possible. Since he started performing in the early 2000s, he has felt supported.
“Just having people just kind of have your back and be like, ‘all right, this is what you should try to do,’ or ‘this is how you get booked’ was just huge for me personally, growing in this scene.”
This collaborative spirit is a crucial part of Kobin’s growth as a comedian, and something that more comedians are realizing is an essential part of building their careers. Across the country, and world, comedians have been turning to the people and tools around them to put out their own specials, rather than relying on major companies to do it for them.
The taping
The special was shot over the course of two back-to-back shows on Nov. 23 at Dugout 54, located at 5328 W. Bluemound Road.
There is a bar at ground level but another one in the basement, where the shows take place.
“After the first show, I felt like Gerard Butler in ‘300,’” Kobin said. “I was so pumped.”
The room was sold out for both shows.
“Half the tickets sold were because Mike is so loved,” said Brandon Wein, a comedian who has produced shows there for the past four years through his production company Business Casual, which also produced Kobin’s special.
The crowd also was filled with fellow comedians there to perform on the show or just be there to support.
Kobin’s set consisted of an act that he has worked hard to get as original and true to himself as possible, where he jokes about his family, having a kid at a young age and growing up in Milwaukee as mixed race.
“I was too white for the Black kids and too Black for the white kids, so I just said ‘F— it, I’m just going to learn Spanish,’” Kobin said.
Diversity is key
Embracing diversity also was a big part of Kobin’s approach to growing as a comedian.
Kobin deliberately performs in front of as many diverse audiences as possible.
North Side venues tend to have predominantly Black audiences, Kobin said, whereas venues in River West or Walker’s Point, for example, often have predominantly White audiences. In order to get stronger, a comedian has to perform for as many of these audiences as possible, Kobin said.
“That’s just a fact,” he said.
“I was at every open mic possible. I was everywhere.”
In this way, Kobin said, quantity leads to quality.
Step by step
As Kobin’s skills and act developed, so did his network of collaborators.
This is how he met Jesse Chieffo, who directed Kobin’s special.
“He’s the best in the state, and arguably, probably one of the best in the country when it comes to shooting comedy specials,” said Wein.
Chieffo puts it more humbly.
“I’m always of the mind of helping out comics when I can,” Chieffo said. “It’s less money driven, and more, like, this is just something I love, and I’ve always had a passion for this stuff.”
“It’s about what I can do to help. So, just using your network, I would say, is the biggest piece of advice,” he added.
For more information
A date has not been set for the release of Kobin’s special, but he anticipates releasing it on YouTube by the end of January or beginning of February.
Kobin’s Instagram and Facebook have other content and information about future performances.
For more information about Business Casual and its upcoming live shows, people can go to its website.
People interested in contacting Chieffo can reach him through the form on his website or his Instagram profile.
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