Episode 22 – Mel Austin: Comic on a Mission

Update: 2015-08-25

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Mel Austin, Comic and Entertainer

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He went from the marines, to corporate life, to comedy. Mel Austin worked on his stand-up comedy and acting career as a side hustle while he was working in sales and marketing. But like thousands of others, he was forced to change directions when the recession hit and his company down-sized.

Mel used the skills that he learned from his corporate experience to build value into the content (comedy) that he was delivering to audiences – from school assemblies to prisons and everything in between.

Stand-up comics are an interesting breed, because they put themselves in a position that most people fear. They face an audience whose behavior is largely outside of their control, and who are there, really, to judge them. They place themselves in positions of psychological and emotional vulnerability where the payoff can be great, but the risk of failure is huge.

“Laughter really does heal people.”

<figcaption class="source">— Mel Austin</figcaption>
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For Mel Austin, comedy is more than a job, or a casual way to find entertainment. For Mel, comedy is his way of helping people. "I always wanted to be a motivational speaker," he says in our interview. Some people don't want to be motivated, but laughter is a way to reach people even when they don't expect it. Mel is on a mission to help people find glimpses of joy in a stressful world. He talks about a couple who came to him after a show and told him that they had been fighting with each other all week long, and a little laughter was exactly what they needed to break the ice and talk to each other again.

“When she came to me after the show and thanked me for helping her and her husband laugh, and that it allowed them to talk to each other again after a week of fighting, that made my day.”

<figcaption class="source">— Mel Austin</figcaption>
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Mel launched a new stand-up show called Squeaky Clean Comedy. He hosts a round of clean comics and entertainers every month at Dave and Busters in Ontario, CA. Check here for tickets.

In addition to his performances, Mel teaches comedy classes to business people and public speakers. Connect with Mel Austin using the links below, and let him know that you love clean comedy too!