Today we’d like to introduce you to Damon Monday.
Hi Damon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2013, my senior year of high school, I threw a rock show and called it The Marshall Rock fest. I booked 6 bands for a multi genre experience, ska, metal, and pop punk. The event itself was a surreal experience, and after finding out that I made $230 in ticket sales, and $200 on concessions (a lot of money for a 17 yr old), I knew that I wanted to be in entertainment for the rest of my life. After high school, I continued throwing rock shows in garages, backyards, and warehouses. As a rocker, I was a closeted dubstep fan, and after attending Hard Day of The Dead in 2013 I needed to somehow break into the EDM world. I started promoting with White Rabbit Group and was a part of their parties at Avalon Hollywood. After working for them for about a year, me and my friend Dre (not the doctor) started throwing our own shows. We had met at Pasadena City College in Intro to Business, and for our final, we put together a business plan for an event company. That final project was the backbone of our endeavors and our starting point to throwing shows where the vibe was 100% us. While doing this I was also a promoter for the Dreamstate team of the powerhouse that is Insomniac. Even though this was a dream come true (to work for Insomniac) I was never really a fan of the Trance genre or Dreamstate events, but used this as an opportunity to attend EDC and other Insomniac events as a team member.
During all of this, I was a huge fan of stand up comedy. Me and my wife (girlfriend at the time) would frequently go to shows at The HaHa Comedy Club and The Ice House. In 2019, while still promoting and throwing my own parties, I decided to give stand up a shot. I had already been running the door for a stand up show for about 2 years before finally giving it a try. I instantly fell in love with the rush of performing and was ready to go all in. Unfortunately, 5 months after my first time on stage, Covid hit. I did comedy shows and open mics on Zoom, and was even doing spots in the stairwell of the office building I was working at. When people were stepping away from performing, I did everything I could to be around stand up during the covid shutdown. I began hanging out with Zach Miller of Hemperors comedy and Sean Mcbride of Cosmic Comedy and used my background in throwing events to become the mainstay sound guy and Co-Producer for their shows. This led to me developing as a comic due to the pressure of having to performing with pros.
In November 2021 I threw my first comedy event. It was an open mic with a handful of booked spots that were filled by the friends I was making in the scene. However, in true Damon Monday fashion, this event was a smoke friendly environment that was followed by a great party. Shortly after that, my friend Edwin (DJ Arktos) had become a resident of a prominent event company B-Side LA. When he joined the team, he referred me to the founder to be a promoter for them. After meeting Murad and the team via zoom, the vibes were immaculate. This lead to becoming the Lead Promoter for B-Side and finally getting to be a part of an event team that was everything my dubstepping heart could have imagined. My love for the classic dubstep sound and sound system culture led to a great friendship with Murad and an opportunity to work with Edwin on parties that I actually wanted to be at.
As the world came out of the covid shutdown, I was already full steam ahead. I was performing stand up 4-5 days a week, going to raves/events every other weekend, throwing parties every few months, and I also got married to my best friend and number 1 supporter. My wife has played a huge role in supporting me in chasing my dreams, and she was always there to encourage me to work harder and dream bigger. With a day job that also encourages me to follow my passions, I am in the first quarter of 2025 living the Hollywood Dream.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
To be completely honest, no. The party lifestyle, along with maintaining different day jobs, and a relationship, while also still finding time for myself and my family, I am a firm believer that a life in entertainment is NOT for every one. After a long time paying bills, taking my girl out on pay day, and throwing every dollar I’ve ever made into this dream, I would think about quitting often, epecially when I would go months at a time trying to recoup the investments I made into this game. There has been a lot of days, weeks, and months of having a negative balance in my bank account or having just enough to get by. Being an LA native, I have always felt that I owe it to myself to make it. I was born here, and millions of people move across the country or around the world to get to this chunk of land that I call home. A huge help in the last couple years has been finding a day job that allows me to maintain a schedule where I can not only make a sustainable wage, but where I am encouraged to keep going.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Stand Up Comedian and Event Producer and Podcaster. I’m known for working hard, and for always keeping a smile on my face. I produce regular Stand Up Comedy shows all around SoCal as well as Concerts/Raves. Amongst my friends, I’m known to be the one to always know where to go next, whether it’s a late night restaurant, a local taco stand, or an after hours party. I would say that as an entertainer, I specialize in bringing unlike groups of people together to experience different forms of art, whether it be bringing my music friends to an art gallery or comedy show, bringing jaded comedians and writers out for a night on the town with my dj/band friends, or bringing my personal life friend and family out for a taste of “Hollywood”. I am most proud of being able to navigate multiple facets of this industry while always staying true to myself, always giving my best efforts, and through producing these events, providing a space for other creatives and friends to showcase themselves and their talents.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
In entertainment, you have to take risks. Committing to a craft is a huge risk in itself. I have passed on a number of great job opportunities that would not have not only covered my bills and basic living expenses, but also would have put me in the same boat as my friends who were getting married, having kids, and buying houses. Lucky for me, my wife has been my biggest supporter in taking risks and making the most of every opportunity. I tell my friends all the time, if you’re not taking risks, you’re not growing. Sometimes we crash and burn but sometimes we don’t. The key to growing is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is scary to take risks and sometimes when you play with fire you get burned, and that shit can be painful, but you grow from it. However, that internal pain from failure is always justified. We have to grow, and the pain we feel inside, is just growing pains of the soul. and if your soul is expanding within your body, its probably going to hurt.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mondaysaredopepod.buzzsprout.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damonmonday/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mondaysaredope5927
