Today we’d like to introduce you to Khairy Creek.
Hi Khairy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a kid, I always loved standup. My brother and I got banned from my grandmother’s house for 2 weeks after we woke her up by laughing too hard at Dave Chappelle’s “killing them softly” special.
I tried my hand at standup in July of 2016 and failed terribly. So much so that I wouldn’t attempt standup again until December of that year. However, that time I did good, and I haven’t stopped since. I got my first paid gig about 3 weeks into standup, which got me my first advertised gig, which led to my first headline performance. This went terrible lol I had no business headlining a show a few months into my career. I’ve always had the “do it myself” mindset. Coming into standup, I used to do these bringer shows. You bring people in exchange for time. It was fun until I realized I was bringing about 10-15 people at $20 a piece for just 5 minutes of stage time.
Once I did the math with that, I went and produced my show. I sold that one out. I used to like my last $50 to make that happen. I ran it back, this time at Sully’s Comedy Cellar. The second show didn’t sell well at all. I waited until January of next year, produced another show, and it sold out. Then it became a monthly show at sullys. I also made some huge changes in the earlier parts of my career. I once drove to Jersey to sneak in the back of Kevin Hart’s tv shows, and I met his team. I convinced them to bring the “heart of the city” show to Baltimore.
During the pandemic, I mostly did private events. Shortly before the pandemic hit, I was featured on Comedy Hype’s comedy basement, and I had headlined my very first college show. Then everything had shut down right before I was supposed to debut at the Baltimore Comedy Factory. Post pandemic, I started a weekly comedy open mic called “above the bar,” that’s grown into something special. I’ve performed at the Baltimore comedy factory, magoobys, dc improv, church of satire, etc. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with Roy Wood Jr, Nimesh Patel, and more.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nah, it honestly hasn’t. Standup is such an up-and-down career path. One night I’m performing in from of a college theater. The next night I’m at an open mic where I’m sure somebody had overdosed in the bathroom lol.
But seriously, It hasn’t been easy. I’ve bombed, had poor turnouts, and even had shows get canceled the day of. My biggest struggle now is honestly trying to grow my brand while still being the best dad I can be. It’s tough emotionally and mentally having to choose between performing and being with my baby girl. Since her mom and I split up, I hate cutting into our time. So that’s been the most challenging part of all of this. I am finding that balance of fatherhood and standup.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a standup comedian. What sets me apart from the others is my storytelling style and teamwork-driven mindset.
I believe that teamwork does indeed make the dream work, and I move in that manner. I don’t try to snake people or go all for myself. I want to see the Baltimore comedy scene thrive as a whole. We have some talented comics here.
Above The Bar, open mic is probably my most proud accomplishment. We just hit a year back in March. So many amazing comedians have come there to perform. I’m proud of what that mic has become.
As far as most significant accomplishments, I would have to say working with Roy Woods Jr. he’s one of the biggest comedians out today, and he drops so many gems to learn from.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The industry is moving more into self-produced standup specials: lower budgets but more independence. Things have changed a lot with streaming. You don’t have to wait to get your big break, and you can bike your organic fan base online or on social media. I can see independent comedy specials becoming a big thing.
Pricing:
- Above the Bar comedy is free
Contact Info:
- Email: M.cr33k@gmail.com (booking email)
- Website: OMGItsKhairy.com
- Instagram: @khairycreek
- Facebook: Khairy Khairy
- Twitter: Twitter.com/Khairycreek
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/OMGItsKhairyVideos
Image Credits
Zuri (my daughter)
