Life & Work with Amy Shanker of Currently touring

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Shanker.

Hi Amy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a standup comedian, but prior to that, I was a high school English teacher on the westside of Chicago. I got into standup after asking myself what career pays even less than what I’m making as a teacher. Honestly, I kind of fell into teaching and it wasn’t my passion, so I kept trying to find other jobs and wasn’t having much luck. Everyone thinks teachers only know how to work with children and lack other skills. But teaching uses more communication skills at a deeper depth than most sales jobs alone.

So after years of searching for other career paths and finding nothing, I was pretty much at the end of my rope.l thought I was stuck. Then I gave a speech at a wedding and did so well that everyone was telling me I was in the wrong field. I should be writing for tv, doing standup, speech-writing, etc. and that’s how I found myself at my first open mic. I thought I’d try standup once and be done. But this field tends to fester and eventually take over entire lives. Or at least, it did with me.

Alright, so 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?
Being a standup comedian is anything but a smooth road. It’s work. To succeed, you have to treat it like a job that requires you to write daily and perform even more. I think there are probably 3 sides to this field as a comedian: joke writing, stage performance, and the business side. When I started standup, I didn’t have many issues with crowd control (bc of teaching) but I also didn’t know how to write a joke. Like at all. So that was a learning curve. I think mastering those 2 things come before any real need to learn the business side of this industry. But that is probably the most important part of you want true success.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a standup comedian, there are a lot of things I’m proud of. I got into this industry later than most bc of my previous career. But I was able to climb pretty quickly. I was passed at my first club (Laugh Factory Chicago) by the owner himself, Jamie Masada, less than 2 years after starting comedy. I was still teaching at the time but eventually quit and moved to NYC to see if I could actually take this new obsession to a higher level. I was passed at New York Comedy Club within my first week of living there. I think they now have a 2 year waiting list just to audition. I also got a few tv spots in NYC. And I recorded my first album after being approached during a show at Caroline’s via the New York Comedy Fest. I recently taped my first special, and I’m really excited to see how it turns out.

Teaching high school English in Chicago gave me a lot of skills I wouldn’t have initially had if I’d started standup without that experience. I have a drier wit and am a bit on the darker side of comedy because of it.

I wouldn’t say there’s one specific thing I’m proud of but when I look at my career trajectory and accomplishments, I’m proud of it as a whole.

What matters most to you? Why?
One of the most important things for me is to know where and with who I can be my most authentic self. (I know it’s whom but I’m trying to be casual!) I would say my mom is the one who gave me permission to be me, boldly and without apology. She’s the strongest person I know. She can do anything. It’s seriously impressive.

Along the way, I’ve also learned that helping others makes me happy. I like being able to give people the skills to take control over their lives in any way they can, want, or need.

I also believe it’s really important to listen to yourself. I remember telling my dad about a boyfriend I once trapped. My dad only wanted to know 2 things. He asked me how I feel around him and if he makes me laugh. And I don’t think I’ve told my dad this, but I routinely ask myself these 2 questions when it comes to most aspects of my life.

Pricing:

• Id love to come perform for you-contact em for pricing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyshanker?igsh=b290djlxdXlvbDZ1&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16v1H9A89c/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Twitter: https://x.com/amyshanker?s=21&t=0_I5irFi4-29HBv3zEk6ew
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@amyshanker954?feature=shared

Image Credits
Last one is my foster dog, Dave.