Meet Samantha Varela of Naked Comedy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Varela.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a big comedy fan. TV shows, albums, live shows, it’s all been there for me during the darkest times of my life, and I know it has been a source of strength for many others. So since I’m not a performer but still wanted to give back to the Comedy community, I started producing events. I want to help great performers get great shows to get exposed to more and more people.

As I started producing, I also saw how live Comedy was really a Wild West, every show was different and many treated the comedians like cattle, no pay, no respect for them having other free spots to schedule, lineups with Weird mixes of people that don’t know each other or get along necessarily. So I also started trying to make my shows organized and enjoyable for the performers, focusing a lot on making sure each show would hopefully be something a performer would look forward to.

LA, in particular, also has a bad rap of shows not paying, and while there are a ton of free shows, there are also a ton of shows that charge tickets but still don’t pay, so I’ve tried very hard to make sure performers can get paid fairly for shows with ticket sales. Overall I just want to create shows that make the performers feel as appreciated as I truly am of them and their gift to bring laughter and Comedy into the world.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I struggle every day to make a living, to sell tickets, to get the word out. Each live Comedy Show is a unique living thing that you have to babysit and manage, and they all have their different hiccups so it can be stressful to work in such an unpredictable medium. I also have social anxiety so a lot of “Hollywood Networking Opportunities” just isn’t a place I shine.

And I have felt times when being a woman of color, being an overweight person, or even being a not rich person has been slight. The higher up in this biz you go, the more it feels like you need to impress people so that pressure gets to me often. But I think as I reach ten years of doing Comedy I’ve come to appreciate parts of myself that before I saw as a hindrance. I’ve always made an effort to have diverse lineups and of people that have all different kinds of truths and life experiences. I’ve also tried to stay in touch with who the creeps are in the scene to keep them out and make my shows safe spaces.

There was a time I felt these standards kept people from wanting to work with me, but now people come to be because of these ethics. So every day you wonder what opportunities you’re not getting and why that is, but I think the struggle is just part of working in entertainment. Like many others have said, it’s an endurance career not merit-based, which is a tough pill to swallow but once you understand the game it gets easier to play it.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m proud that my shows have consistently showcased the talent that goes on to become hot artists and rise to the top. I love my comedy taste, and I am happy to mix comedians from many different “scenes” to continue to expose these artists to other artists, industry, and audiences.

I’m also proud to call my shows safe spaces and to be a producer that people feel comfortable to tell if someone I booked is actually a creep, knowing that I will take that information seriously.

And I’m lucky that my specific combination of anxiety/depression/OCD has been channeled into a need not to let people down and attention to detail that I think helps my shows enjoyable for audiences and performers alike.

At the end of the day, I’m a hard worker, passionate, and dedicated to what I do, and luckily people know me as that.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I try not to have specific career goals because this industry is constantly changing and benchmark achievements really don’t mean much in the long run.

I just hope to continue to get better and bigger “gatekeeper” jobs so I can keep shining a light on the most talented performers and artists I know.

Contact Info:

• Website: Nakedcomedy.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedcomedy/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/NCProduction/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/naked_comedy

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.