Meet Maggie Maye

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Maye.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Maggie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve known I wanted to be a comedian since I was a kid. I wanted to be a bunch of other stuff, too: a teacher, an R&B singer, President, but all that on the side of being a comedian. Telling jokes and making people laugh was all I ever wanted to do. I was a fairly good kid, and most of the times I got in trouble were related to me talking and joking around too much. I mean, there was a semester-long beef with Mrs. Hofheinz, but that’s another story. Patty and I are cool now.

Anyway, I’m from a small town in Texas with no comedy clubs, no industry, it barely had a mall worth hanging out at. And besides, my parents were trying to nurture my academic side because I was wicked smart. They held out hope that I’d eventually decide to become a doctor, even though I kept making them wake up early on Saturdays to take me to performance competitions.

I kept performing all the way through college. Regardless of what I was studying I always found my way to the theater. I graduated college early with a double major (Magna Cum Laude. It would have been Summa had I not been a transfer student, and I’m not at all salty about this fact). I had no idea what to do. I knew I couldn’t just show up someplace with my resume and references and have them hand me a job as a performer. I also knew I didn’t want to get a random job that I wouldn’t care about. So, I allowed my mom to convince me to go back to school to study pharmacy. I mean, why not? I was good at school and mom said pharmacists make bank. I could support myself working a couple of days a week and have the rest of the time for my “acting and auditioning.” My parents really didn’t want me to waste my abilities chasing after a dream in a subjective and unfair industry and have nothing to show for my time. They would have loved for me to become a doctor, so pharmacy felt like a win for all parties involved.

I moved to Austin so I could go to the University of Texas to complete the prerequisites for the program. I knew Austin had a performance industry and community. I also heard that going to UT would up my chances of getting into their pharmacy school. Well, I heard wrong. I didn’t get into the pharmacy school at UT. I got in at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in Amarillo. At that point, I had to be honest with myself. There was no way I wanted to spend four years in Amarillo, the only appeal of which was that it was slightly bigger than my hometown. I didn’t really care about pharmacy, I just liked Ted Leo & the Pharmacists. But I was able to convince admissions departments that their boring programs were more than just a plan b for me, so I was feeling myself as a performer.

I decided to stay in Austin. I was taking acting classes and writing a small blog with a tiny following when a temp job led me to working as a writer in the Texas Governor’s office. It was insanely easy for me, so when I was done with my work, or just done with working, I’d go to my boss’s office and make her laugh to pass the time. Sometimes my other coworkers would come in and I’d joke around enough to get us at least an hour off, so I was really doing the Lord’s work (I worked in constituent services, so I wasn’t really squandering tax dollars, so relax). Anyway, my boss suggested I try an open mic and even printed out information for me, but I shrugged it off because I didn’t think I was professional enough to perform at an open mic. Can you imagine that? As if such a thing even exists. Plus, she eventually fired me (unrelated to my workday comedy shows), so I wasn’t about to use her as any source of inspiration. But I would low-key write comedy sets, which I would brush off as “not good enough.” I was doing improv comedy at the time, and at the time I was 100% of the black population in the Austin improv community.

One day I wrote a set and thought it was pretty funny, but like always, I told myself it wasn’t good enough. I vowed to work on it later, even though I knew I’d probably just forget about it like I always did. As I was about to minimize the Microsoft Works screen (I used that program for entirely too long) I heard a voice in my head, as clear as day, say that if I didn’t do it now, I never would. The idea of never doing the thing I always wanted to do scared me so much that I immediately signed up for an open mic that would be happening two days later. Even though looking back now, my set was kinda dumb, it killed. Since then, I literally just never stopped doing comedy as much as I could. Austin is a great place to cut your teeth, and the scene there is incredible. I moved here to LA two years ago to see what all the fuss was about. I like it.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a smooth road in comedy, but if there is one, I know I’m for sure not on it. I think anyone who describes their comedy career as “smooth” is either rich, delusional, or lying. There are too many ups and downs for me to consider it to be smooth. The nature of the beast is that there is a lot of rejection. A lot. You hear no a bunch. Well, maybe you don’t actually hear it since a lot of people don’t follow up for a no, but it’s hella inferred. It can really take a toll on one’s self-esteem and can lead to self-doubt. Although there is no one way to do this, that doesn’t stop people from wondering whether they’re doing things right. And even when good opportunities come along, I’ve seen and experienced the pressure they can bring. Or stress over when the next opportunity will come. Being an adult is taxing enough, even without a show schedule. It can be especially exhausting if, like me, things are exacerbated with a chronic pain and fatigue illness. Throw in a day job and a bunch of travel and it’s a recipe for disaster. Very sleepy disaster.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As a comedian, I connect with strangers by making them laugh at the things that come out of my brain via my mouth…. or things in my brain that come out of my mouth. I use any form of comedy: I mainly do stand-up, but also regularly perform improv and sketch. I’ve been called a “funny, smart weirdo,” which is an incredibly sweet compliment. I’m glad my brand is being communicated so clearly. I’ve also been told that people know when they put me on a show, they’re not going to regret it. It makes me hella proud to know that people feel as though they can count on me as a performer. The thing that sets me apart from others is my distinct perspective, duh. I don’t think like most people, and I think my unique thought process is entertaining. As is my fly style, which also sets me apart.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is having people willingly pay good money for what I would gladly do for free. Success is being able to be true to myself and create the kind of work that inspires me without having to be at the mercy of others; to have creative control of my own destiny. I think a good marker of success is if I’m fulfilled and accomplished in what I’m doing, while also inspiring others to step into their own power. To use my blessings and influence to create and foster good in the world is like the triple word score of success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maggiemayehaha.wordpress.com

Image Credit:
Troy Conrad, Steve Rogers Photography, Richard M. Johnson Photography, Kelly Reopelle Dwyer, Carlton Wilcoxson, Annie Brennen, Mac1Photo

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