The Comedy Studio's Comic In Residence Interview - Sean Wilkinson

Sean Wilkinson is The Comedy Studio's
Comic In Residence for March

Every month, The Comedy Studio features one comic on every show. For March, it’s Brockton native Sean Wilkinson, starting with tonight's Mystery Lounge show.

Wilkinson says he wrote his first joke at seven or eight and grew up watching Letterman and Conan. He decided in high school he was going to give comedy a shot someday, and has fed himself a steady diet of Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt, and Zach Galifianakis (he lists Oswalt’s Werewolves and Lollipops as his favorite comedy CD – “I've probably listened to that twice as much as any other album,” he says). During the day, he works at what he calls a “big financial services company,” so he can afford to tell jokes at night.

When did you start doing comedy?

Five and a half years ago. I did comedy at my college for three years, about a show every 2 months back then. Then I graduated and started taking it more seriously, getting out to the Boston scene and doing some traveling when I can.

How often have you played the Studio?

One or two times a month over the course of a couple years.

What other clubs do you play?

Mottley's, Nick's, and Grandma's Basement.

What local comedians have influenced you?

All of them/None of them. In all seriousness though it's a great, supportive comedy scene with a lot of talent and everyone is very helpful. I'd say Jason Marcus and Sean Sullivan have influenced me more than anyone. They're both great and I've gotten to watch their entire careers unfold because I went to high school with them. I've done more traveling, writing, and drawing robots with Jason than anyone. Sullivan is good friends with my brother Steve and he's always been hilariously mean to me and I like people like that (in high school he didn't like the idea of there being two Seans, so he called me mini-Steve for the better part of a decade). Both of them have pushed me to get up on stage as much as possible too.

Don't tell Sullivan that I said anything positive about him by the way, he still intimidates me.



What's the average number of gigs you've played in a month before this?
It varies, but I probably average 7 or 8 booked shows a month, and then with open mics added in I get up on stage 20+ times a month.

How will you approach your time -- work on new stuff, refine older stuff, or a mix of both?

A mix of both. Older stuff on the weekends, with some newer stuff mixed in on the weekdays.

What do you expect to have gotten out of the experience when the month is over?

I'd be surprised if I didn't feel more confident in my material by the end of the month. They have great audiences and a set there can be a real confidence booster for your jokes. Sometimes I get too comfortable with how I normally arrange a short set, so I'd definitely like to play around with the order of my jokes a bit. It is a huge honor to be able to do this, so other than that I'm just going to try to enjoy the experience.

Do you plan to make comedy a job, or is it something you do as a hobby?
I plan on making it my full-time job, not sure what my timeline for that is yet. Also Mutual Funds Incorporated might not like seeing that timeline on the internet. Until then it is the best hobby in the World... next to scrap booking, of course. A distant second to scrap booking.