Sharing a laugh: Comedian to bring personal touch to local comedy event
From a young age, comedian Julian McCullough knew he wanted to make people laugh.
“When I was 5, I first realized that I was funny,” said McCullough. “I made a group of adults laugh for the first time on purpose and I will never forget that feeling.”
McCullough, who has followed his comedic passion, will be the headliner for A Night of Laughter event held 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at The State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.
Comics each have their own type of comedy that they use to tell their stories. For McCullough, his performances are very personal.
“It is a lot of stories, and I am pretty sarcastic and I am pretty quick. I tell stories and I play with the crowd. A lot of people say they can’t tell where my act starts and ends. I think of a lot of stuff in the moment,” he explained. “They (the audience) can’t tell a lot of the stuff that I wrote ahead and what I thought of in the moment. I am always switching it up. It is a different show.”
Since his comedic beginnings, McCullough has had experience in a variety of venues including clubs, arenas and late night television.
“‘The Tonight Show’ was really fun. Jimmy Fallon knows how to setup you up on TV,” said McCullough. “It (doing stand-up on a television show) was very different. When you do late night TV, every word is planned. You do the scripted version of your act. When you are in the club you can do what you want. When you do TV it is timed so tightly to four minutes you have to go in with a plan.”
One of McCullough’s favorite moments as a comedian was when he performed at the Oddball Comedy Festival.
“I did the Oddball Comedy Festival and that was in front of 20,000 people and I thought it was going to be awkward because I have never done standup for that many people,” he said. “It felt bizarrely intimate for 20,000 people. It was really fun and that was great.”
McCullough recently wrapped the taping of his first one-hour comedy special that he hopes to market to media streaming sources, a project that he has been wanting to do for more than two years.
“A lot of it is a chronical about from when I was born and how I became a comedian,” explained McCullough. “It is a coming of age show. I have had a couple of near death experiences. All of that stuff is in there.”
McCullough also said that he is looking forward to his performance in Uniontown, which will be a sort of homecoming since his grandfather, who he plans to visit, lives in Philadelphia.
“They (Uniontown audiences) can expect a show where I will be in the moment. I will be talking to them and I will really be in the moment. It (the show) will be very in Uniontown. If I get any time (to look around) when I get there I will talk about what I saw when I was there,” he said. “I hope people just love hearing a good story and to this day I never get tired of hearing a story. I hope they get a good sense of who I am as a person. I want people to laugh a lot and have a great time and know what I am about. I am very personal that way.”
Joining McCullough at A Night of Laughter will be the opening musical acts of the band Proof Positive and Michael Giachetti, who will sing a montage of songs with a pianist.
Comedian Kendra Cunningham will be featured during the event that will be hosted by Adam Lucidi and Joel Richardson.
The event, produced by SoulJoel Productions is a fundraiser to benefit local charities in Uniontown and the Fayette County area.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door and can be purchased by calling 908-414-7097 or sending an email to souljoelproductions@gmail.com.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.