Meet Kerri Gallagher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerri Gallagher.

Kerri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I love stand-up comedy. I love the challenge, the energy of the crowd, and hearing the laughter bellowing from the audience. The journey started three years ago. When I turned 30, I hit the stage for the first time (by “hit” I mean BOMBED and by “stage” I mean an open mic at a bar). Since that first set, I have grown as comic; performing on local shows and now shows all over the southwest.

Over the past year, I was selected to perform in three comedy festivals and in late May I will be performing in the San Diego Comedy Festival. I’m a regular at Stir Crazy Comedy Club (Glendale) and a cast member on a monthly show at House of Comedy (north Phoenix). Last summer, I ventured into the podcast world and created, “onethirtysomething.”

A weekly podcast that touched on pop culture and featured an interview with a guest (an industry expert in their field). At 33, I found myself so hyper-focused on my own career in healthcare IT that I had such limited knowledge about other industries – onethirtysomething helped fill this void.

I interviewed a local lawyer about prenuptial agreements and child custody, a local acupuncturist about Chinese medicine, a sleep doctor, a physician who specializes in pediatric immunology, and the list goes on. I am happy to share that this podcast is turning into a LIVE show!

My new monthly show “It’s a Talk Show with Kerri Gallagher” will premiere on Thursday June 15th at 8pm at JOJO Coffeehouse. The show will be fun, engaging, and of course, feature a great local expert ready to share his/her knowledge and answer questions.

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?
Comedy is challenging, there is no road map to follow to ensure you are on the right path to a successful career in comedy. For doctors: you go to undergrad, then medical school, then residency, and then you start your practice.

That road map does not exist in comedy. If you want to “make it,” you have to hustle. You have to say yes to any stage time, constantly write, be relevant, be funny, always be ready. And when you finally ARE ready, you move to LA or New York and hustle ten times harder.

That is why I have struggled with comedy, it is so hard to dedicate the time that is necessary to truly make it – I work full time in a very demanding job, I have a husband, a house, the possibility of starting a family on the horizon, a life that requires a steady income.

While the road is not smooth, it is exciting, and there are amazing opportunities right here in the Valley.

We’d love to hear more about your comedy work and any other projects you are currently focused on.
As a local comedian, I am known to bring a comedic twist to all the mundane experiences that I encounter. I have worked hard to be a regular at local comedy clubs and have seen my hard work lead to more out of state gigs and acceptance into comedy festivals.

I have co-produced a live sketch show and created a podcast – both of which were exciting and challenging in different ways. I created the one thirtysomething podcast to fuse my love of comedy with my desire to learn. I wanted to shine a light on incredible valley residents; men and women who are experts and welcome the opportunity to answer questions and share their knowledge.

I am so proud that my podcast (which featured PhDs, MDs, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and financial experts) has now evolved into a live show. I am genuinely so excited about this new project at JOJO Coffeehouse.

This live show is going to be an absolute blast, and the format is meant to be engaging and informative. The one-hour live show will kick off with a hilarious panel of local comics commenting on pop culture and current events. We’ll poll the audience, play some games (nothing cheesy, I PROMISE!) and laugh a lot. The second part of the show will be focused on the special guest.

I’ll conduct the interview and take questions from the audience. This is the first time that I will be producing and hosting a show. This is a massive endeavor, and I know that there will be some trial and error. My ultimate goal is to host a live show that is funny and informative in a space where people can gather to participate and learn.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
I love that Phoenix is the 5th largest city in our nation yet has a “small town” feel.

Phoenix is large enough to have everything you could possibly want while still feeling accessible and personable. I love our food scene, from FnB to Pizzeria Bianco to Barrio Café, we have it all and more.

And we finally have our own identity – for so long we lived in LA’s shadow, but not anymore! We have downtown and midtown both with bustling bars, restaurants, and entertainment – when I first arrived in 2003 that did not exist.

This city and the creative people living in it are amazing. I do wish that the city was more commuter friendly, but that is about it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kgcomedy.com
• Instagram: @kergal14

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