Meet Bridget Flaherty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridget Flaherty.

Bridget, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from Oskaloosa, Iowa, a town about ten thousand or so. I always felt like I needed to move to somewhere bigger. My family, specifically my father’s side, were known for being the funniest people in town. My father and grandpa were radio guys. Even today, my grandpa has a recurring radio show where he does some bits and plays old country. The station made it into a podcast format. As soon as someone in Osky finds out I’m a Flaherty, I’m asked to tell a joke. So it makes sense that I am drawn to comedy. It’s in my DNA. After college, I moved to Chicago, the comedy capitol of the Midwest and possibly the world. I took classes at the Annoyance Theatre and started an improv troupe with a good friend. We even played the first Brony-fest in Illinois. A brony is someone who stans the My Little Pony franchise.

At some point, I found myself immersed in the stand-up comedy world. I started a monthly showcase with some friends. I had a job as night manager and lead cocktail server at a local comedy club. The confidence I gained pushed me to move to Los Angeles. I knew very few people who lived in LA and most of them were comedians. In fact, I cat-sat for one guy while he was out on the circuit. Moving here, I realized I needed to build up a community. On a whim, I applied for a Craigslist blind ad for a free improv class. Little did I know, I was applying for an improv class sponsored by the National Lampoon and taught by Second City Alum, Alison Bills. The class was great! I made some pals to whom I still stay in contact with, and it opened my mind up to getting involved at Second City Hollywood. When I was in Chicago, I completed the sketch program at The Second City, and I wrote and performed for a sketch team there. I was surprised I hadn’t made the connection sooner. Thinking it was a long shot, I applied for the work-study program.

Soon after, I was accepted into it, and I found myself dedicating every Saturday to working the door. I would greet everyone coming into the building, and in no time, I got to know many of the teachers and students coming and going. After three months of this, a part-time job opened up to manage the box office and theater work-study staff. Luckily, I made such a wonderful impression as a work-study participant and likely showed a heightened awareness for theatre operations, that I was a shoo-in for the position. I began taking classes and auditioning for shows and teams. Second City Hollywood became my life, and I loved it. I became the biggest nerd for making sure every show went smoothly whether or not I was in the production. And it got noticed. The box office manager position went from being a part-time position to full-time. I was able to perform a couple of times a week and create the support for others to put on theIr original productions. I had started my own monthly show with my coworker and friend Lauren Winters. I was really living the dream.

Then, COVID 19 hit. All of the aspects of what I loved about Los Angeles and Second City was turned on its head. At first, I had no idea what I was going to do or what I could even pivot towards. My whole adult experience has been about working in an event setting, performing or behind-the-scenes. I found myself mourning not just for the theatre but also for everything that I had previously worked towards. Then, about two months or so into this new world, I reached out to Winters with an idea. I asked her if she wanted to start a podcast together. My raw concept was to transition our live show into a podcast format. She was on board! From there, we just started to spitball all kinds of possibilities to build this thing up. From the get-go, Winters was ready to be a producer, but she had no real interest in being a voice. That’s when I reached out to my college friend, Mollie McBreen. She and I had at different times discussed doing a podcast together, but the timing was always less than perfect. It’s amazing how a pandemic can really change your perspective on time!

Now, the three of us are producing and creating this podcast, Sex With Ghosts. We have about eight episodes out now. We record weekly. All our topics are on eerie happenings with a left-leaning biased. We usually tie in pop culture as well. Topics have ranged from Illuminati and Jay Z to Avril Lavigne’s clone to Peter Thiel’s apocalypse. And now, I have something to share with my grandpa, doing comedy over some airwaves.

Great, 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?
It has definitely been a wild ride. Prior to the podcast, neither Winters nor myself have had any experience in recording or editing audio. Fortunately, Mollie has been down this road. She had already been involved in creating podcasts, and she worked with GeeklyInc. which is a community of podcasters and podcast enthusiasts. Between the three of us, we’ve been able to divvy up the workload and create this fun project.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Sex With Ghosts is a podcast about exploring the unknown and the supernatural while including a political and pop culture relation to these happenings. I feel like a lot of podcasts want to shy away from politics or taking a stand on an issue, and maybe that is out of fear of alienating their audience. However, we feel this inclusion adds a grounding or a placement into the real world. These are events that exist beyond a vacuum. These are things that happen-to or affect real people. Having a strong point-of-view also adds to the comedy. Who doesn’t want to hear how a conservative billionaire is possibly funding an apocalypse from two left-leaning women?

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
The proudest moment of my career is actually recurring. I’ve been able to “start over” many times without feeling like I’m regressing. When I moved to Chicago, I didn’t know a single person or anything about comedy writing. When I moved to Los Angeles, I had to rebuild, and now with COVID-19, I’m starting a new medium. Where I grew up, people don’t move to a big city in hopes to make it. There’s a lot of fear if you try to go out alone. Many small-town folks that I grew up with don’t realize you’re able to form a new community, and you have a lot more control to work for the things you want. I’m not saying it’s always been an easy ride, but it hasn’t been as life-or-death as I was taught to believe.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anchor.fm/sexwithghostspodcast
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: SexWithGhosts_
• Twitter: SexWithGhosts_

Image Credit:
My headshot – John Poulos, Sex With Ghosts art – Ian Pitts

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