Meet Matt Walker

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Matt. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I started performing stand up comedy just over two years ago. Stand up has always been a place in which I found relief from life’s trials and tribulations as a consumer, but I never envisioned a world in which I would become a performer. I spent 25 years in a cult, where I had three children at a young age. I never thought that I could have my own dreams, let alone chase after them. After exiting the cult, I took a lot of time to work on myself and figure out who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do with my life. I entered law school, thinking that I could find some peace helping people who were struggling navigate their way through the legal system. About three years ago, disaster struck our family, and my nephew ended up taking his own life. It was an absolute shock to all of us, and I was struck with the feeling that life was entirely too short to spend it being miserable. I took a long look back at my life and realized that the only thing I ever truly enjoyed doing was making people laugh. I felt that I owed it to him to spend the rest of my life pursuing a life in comedy, and to making people laugh. I also wanted to show my kids that no matter what your dream is or where you find happiness, it’s never too late to pursue it.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth, but I get a lot out of struggle. Trying to make strangers laugh is a daunting task at times. You are on stage alone and completely vulnerable, just trying to get a laugh. Not everyone is going to laugh. Not everyone is going to like you, and they won’t all like what you create. But I think those are the things that push your creativity. I ask the question a lot, do they not like me, or do I need to work more on that joke? If they don’t like me, then there is nothing I can do to change that, but there is always more I can do to be a better writer and performer. To me, it’s about taking those struggles, finding out what the lesson is, and applying it to the rest of my life.

Your business – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
First and foremost, I am a stand-up comedian, but through that and the relationships I’ve developed there, I have gotten to be a part of a lot of amazing things. I have gotten to perform stand-up all over the country, most recently as part of the San Diego Comedy Festival. I co-host a podcast with another great comedian Bill Laskowski, called Meat Sweats: The Podcast, which you can find on all the podcast sites. I am a producer for Big Pine Comedy Festival, Broken Drift Productions, and Comedy & D. I am also a regular cast member for Comedy & D, which occurs monthly at Sic Sense Theatre, and consists of me and fellow comedians playing a very silly game of Dungeons and Dragons. We have performed at several conventions, including Phoenix Fan Fusion, CritHit, and the Miami Loco Arts Festival. And last but certainly not least, I make up one half of the Lip Sync team Judas Feast, where I get to let out my inner rock God for a bit.

Do you feel like there are certain traits that increase the likelihood of success?
Perseverance, and most importantly, I love what I do. I love making people laugh and helping them have a good time, especially when they might be struggling. Whenever I start taking things too seriously, I remember that I get to spend a good portion of my life being silly with my friends and putting smiles on people’s faces. I get to live a life that I’ve always secretly dreamed about, and never knew could be a reality.