By Jaleesa Johnson
Photo courtesy of CoCo Joe Productions
After performing stand-up comedy for just 14 months, local comedian Marcus Givan has already landed his first TV credit. On September 1st, Marcus taped a
live performance for the TV show “Laughs” on Fox. Since first honing his craft in San Diego, Marcus’s exponential talent has recently led him to Los Angeles. Following his September 1st “Laughs” taping at the Pechanga Casino & Resort in Temecula, I caught up with Marcus to discuss comedy, television, and what he’s got planned next.
How did you hear about Laughs on Fox?
Marcus: I saw a post on the San Diego Facebook page for comedians. It said, “Hey! If you wanna apply for Laughs, this is how you do it.” It wasn’t a crazy process. You submit a tape between, like, 6-8 minutes. They’ll watch it and if they like it, they’ll contact you. It was surprisingly simple.
Were you confident in the tape you submitted?
Marcus: The footage wasn’t that great. But it was funny to me. At first I was like, “There’s no way I’m actually going to get through this process.” I had only been doing [comedy] at the time for eight months. I just started. But I was just drunk one night so I was like, “I’m just gonna let it fly.” (laughs) “I’m just gonna see what happens.”
What was the acceptance process like? How soon did they notify you?
Marcus: I sent [the tape] to them. I didn’t hear anything back for like a month or two. Then, out of nowhere, “Laughs” started to follow me on Twitter. I was like, “Oh, that’s cool! Somebody looked at it.” I thought, “This it. This is all I’m gonna get for this.” A Twitter follow from “Laughs.” And, honestly, that was cool enough!
But then a month or two later, I got an email back saying, “Yeah, we’d love to have you on the show!” Then they gave me a date: September 1st. It was all very surreal.
Were you nervous about being on television? If so, how did you calm yourself for the taping?
Marcus: I was definitely nervous but it was relaxing to find that the host for this episode was Trenton Davis (Winner of 2013 Sacramento Comedy Festival). I met Trenton when I lived in San Diego. I ran into him at local shows. The first time I had a conversation with him, I went to Murrieta for The Shamrock’s Comedy Competition and I won that night. Trenton was the feature for that show and afterwards, he walked up to me and said “You’ve got some good stuff.” Now, just a few months later, we get booked for this TV gig together. That was a very humbling and reassuring coincidence for me.
Photo courtesy of Laughs on Fox at Pechanga Casino & Resort (Temecula, CA)
How was the audience at the taping? Were they receptive?
Marcus: Yes, they were incredibly receptive and responsive–it was a great crowd! There might actually have been times where I focused too much on the crowd, but it was such great energy that I had to embrace it.
What did “Laughs” teach you most about performing for television?
Marcus: For television, I guess you’re technically not supposed to focus so much on the audience. You just kind of have to do your material and go through it as if you’re talking to someone individually. Because that’s how television is watched, I guess: individually. I’ve just been performing at empty bar shows for so long that I was excited to have a crowd at all! (laughs)
Did you have to change anything about your act for this particular performance?
Marcus: Some of the jokes I prepared had to be re-structured for television. I didn’t do any “callbacks” (i.e. references to previous jokes) and I had to really tighten up my clean material.
The good news is, the way they edit the show is in snippets and clips of each comedian’s performance. So, even if my performance was jumpy, they still only pick your best minute or two of comedy to air on the show. That makes it a little easier.
What kind of jokes did you perform for this episode? What topics?
Marcus: I didn’t do a lot of older jokes that I used to perform in San Diego. I did some new stuff that I’ve been working on. I also did a couple of weird jokes where the content was kind of dark, but I didn’t have to swear or anything.
Do you find it more challenging to perform “dark” humor on national television?
Marcus: Yes and no. Even though [Laughs] wants predominately TV-friendly material, they still accept the edgy stuff….and I have lots of edgy stuff. (laughs)
During the taping, I did a pretty controversial joke that I felt split the room, but then I reeled them back in by addressing the awkwardness like, “Whew! We got through that one as a team.” And that eased the tension a bit.
Has this opportunity made you more serious about comedy?
Marcus: It’s funny. I talked to a comic at the taping who’s been performing comedy for 7 years and it was his first TV credit, as well. He was like, “Look, if you’re gonna have longevity in this, you have to give up the partying, give up the women, and give up the booze.” And I’m like, “I got into this for the partying, the women, and the booze!” (laughs)
I definitely want to do comedy as long and as well as I possibly can, but if I wanted to be serious, I wouldn’t be telling jokes at all.
How did the San Diego comedy scene shape you as a comedian?
Marcus: San Diego is a great scene to start off in. I’m originally from New York but in L.A., when people find that out they’re like, “Oh, you’re a New York comic.” And I’m like, “No, I’m a San Diego comic!” (laughs)
San Diego is my hometown for comedy. I started here. Everything I learned was from here. I got into [comedy] so quickly because I worked security at a comedy club out here.
Because of that job, my material got better, I got more confident, and I think just being in that atmosphere of quality comedy━and really absorbing it━quickly made me a better comedian.
What’s the best advice anyone has given you about comedy?
Marcus: [Trenton] also said I probably shouldn’t open shows with poop jokes. (laughs) But, really, he’s given me some great tips and pointers. He said you’ve gotta think of your performance as a date. You’ve got to ease the audience into your material because first impressions are very important…so I always go on stage thinking about that.
What do you have planned next?
Marcus: Because I’m aware that I’m ahead of the game, I don’t necessarily feel that pressure like, “I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I gotta do this and I gotta do that.” I accidentally ended up on television so I’m like, “Let me just try to slow down and do this properly.”
Stand-up is also kind of another way for me to figure out what I want to do next. I know I love being around passionate and creative people. I would actually love to go back to school and get a degree in Computer Science. It’s just a thing that I’ve always wanted to do. So, I’m just taking this month off from [grinding] to really get my life together.
Image by The American Comedy Co.
Considering that Marcus Givan, within his comedic infancy, has already accomplished what often takes comedians years to achieve━I’d say his short break from grinding is well deserved.
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Marcus’s episode will air this Fall on Season 3 of “Laughs” on Fox. If you want to see him perform live in San Diego, Marcus will be competing in the 12th Ocean Beach’s Funniest Person Contest on September 16th at Winston’s Beach Club. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. You can also follow him on Twitter @gibbums.
