Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Scrocca.
Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a professional touring stand up comedian. I started my journey in to stand up comedy in December 2023. with no training or prior experience I woke up one day in December 2023 and decided I wanted to do stand up comedy. I knew someone who owned a small comedy club in my home town of Wildwood NJ. I told him I wanted to do 5 minutes. He asked me to tape myself and send it to him. He loved my material and gave me a 5 minute set on Friday 12/15/2023. Now I had to find an open mic to figure out how to do stand up, where to stand, how to move, how to handle the microphone. So I found a local open mic right outside of Atlantic City NJ for Wednesday 12/13. The Monday before the mic had been cancelled permanently. So I scrambled and found a mic in Toms River NJ on Thursday 12/14. I went, had no idea what I was doing and soon discovered that the venue was a hangout for a notorious NJ motorcycle club. So having gotten over any stage fright nerves I was no nervous my audience might beat me up or kill me. I got out ok did my 5 minute set and I have been killing stages all over the country since. I no longer do open mics only paid shows. I have performed in over 200 shows since starting, many of them paid spots. I have been in competitions and festivals including a spot on the prestigious 2025 World Series of Comedy. I have opened for national headliners including Steve Trevino. At a new comic showcase at Gotham Comedy Club in New York City (February 10, 2024) I was the sixth comic in line to go up. Number 5 was on stage when Jim Gaffigan walks in. The host comes up to me and tells me that Jim is going to do a set then I would follow Jim. No pressure, first year comedian having to follow one of the hottest comics in the world. 5 minutes in to Jims set the host comes back and tells me that Jim is going to introduce a friend, the friend would do a set then I would go up. The friend was Jerry Seinfeld. Now I had to follow a combined 40 minutes of Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld and still make people laugh. I did, I killed it and to this day I would say there are only a handful of comedians performing for 5 years or less that could have done what I did. I love doing stand up.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Stand up comedy is never smooth. I have bombed once or twice, forgotten my set while on stage but now after 2 years I have my sets memorized and I know what will get laughs. Another part of doing stand up and becoming so successful this early on brings out the haters and the jealous comics. There are comedians performing for 10 years that have not gotten as far as me and they hate me for that. I believe there are 2 rules in comedy, be funny and don’t steal material. Other than that it’s a free for all to race to the top. I am not “waiting my turn” I am kicking ass and forging ahead.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a stand up comedian. All of my material is original and based on my life. I am 64 years old so I have experienced many things and I have been able to turn them in to concise short stories that I tell on stage. I specialize in making people laugh. The harder they laugh the better I feel. When people come up to me after a show and thank me for giving them a break from bad things happening in their lives it truly makes me feel like I am doing good with my gift. I am most proud of not getting discouraged, not letting the haters bring me down and just in general getting to a level in stand up comedy that few comedians experience and none of done it as fast as me. What sets me apart from the others is I have a business background. I know how to network. I have contacts in every area of entertainment from Netflix to Sirius to Fox Television. So my business background gives me a huge advantage in being able to get through doors others may never get through.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Personal satisfaction, happiness, knowing that wherever I land when I am done doing stand up that I got there on my own by my own efforts, talent and ability.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.scroccaentertainmentgroup.com
- Instagram: @joe_scrocca_comedy
- Facebook: joescroccacomedy
- Youtube: joescroccacomedy
