NYC Stand Up Comedian Who's Worked on Netflix, Hulu, NBC, and More!

Find out more about Amanda

• When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  I started Stand-Up Comedy when I was 19 years old, so it's been quite a chunk of time! When I was younger, I've always been told I had an old soul, and that I was pretty wise for my age, I was just a little girl always in grown folk conversations. I also would watch a ton of Saturday Night Live with my family, and just fell in love with how the cast would make an audience laugh in real time on a television screen.

• Which artists or works affect you the most?

  I really look up to Kristen Wiig a ton, she was so amazing on SNL, with her slapstick humor and her ability to create such memorable comedic characters in her sketches.
  
  Rosebud Baker is an up and coming comedian as well who has performed on comedy central, written for SNL and just makes people laugh at the darkest stuff which I think is so hard to do. I write dark comedy myself, so I just truly see her as a mentor for sure.
  
  Last but not least, the wonderful, but insane, Eric Andre. He's beyond distinctive, constantly thinking outside the box and makes everyone so uncomfortable yet piss their pants. He's one of the funniest people of our time, and is extremely different with his comedy approach.

• What are the qualities and skills required to succeed in this area?

  PATIENCE, OPTIMISM, LOTS OF WRITING, AND BE A GOOD PERSON! I seriously cannot stress this enough.

• What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  Best advice I could give is to buy a tiny notebook and bring that thing everywhere. Whatever funny thought/joke/idea/word you have, WRITE IT DOWN. Also, it's super important to collaborate with other writers/comedians, they might even help make your comedy sketch/routine 10x's better.

• How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  One word: Exhilarating! It feels good to have what you wrote and get to perform it on a stage, especially when your punch-ups have done its job of making the audience laugh. I feel good about what I do, I mean there are times where you bomb (you're not a comedian unless you bomb 100 times), but when you have those nights where you totally kill it on stage, you just feel on top of the world and that all this writing and practicing at open mics is worth it.

• What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  I am extremely proud of starting my comedy podcast Bae With a Z Podcast. I started it back in 2020 during lockdown, it was my comedy outlet during the pandemic and it brought me so many opportunities and got me to meet many talented and amazing individuals.
  
  I also am proud to work in the entertainment business as a whole, balancing comedy as well as film production has been quite the challenge but I wouldn't want it any other way!

• Have you ever been surprised by a student; by their ability or quick progression?

  One of my first students from this site knew 0 things about comedy, and in a month wrote his first tight 5 min routine and is now performing in Philadelphia! Their drive, optimism and willingness to take advice to help better their routine has been such smooth sailing. They are extremely dedicated, write new jokes every week, and I can definitely see them thriving in this whether it's performing or writing comedy!

• Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  My secret is to trust the process, remain optimistic, in every path you take in life, not just in comedy! Seriously, being positive and manifesting what you want, you will get it with the right attitude. Being true to myself and understanding that everything happens for a reason is what got me to where I am in my career!