Comedian Andrew Sleighter brings his thoughtful stand up to Savannah and Front Porch Improv

Ready to laugh out loud to some quick-witted, observational, no-false-premises-style comedy? Get ready, because on Friday night, Portland-based stand up comic, Andrew Sleighter, cruises into town for one night only at Front Porch Improv.

Originally from Seattle, Sleighter started out in the late ‘90s doing open mics as a college student. Those first attempts were less than ideal, brutal even. He attended a small college in equally small Bellingham, WA.

“It was horrible,” confessed Sleighter. “At that time open mics meant tons of Dave Mathews covers — no offense to Dave — and poetry. And then me. Trying to do comedy. I got no response. But I kept doing it and then went a couple times to clubs in Seattle where I did get laughs, and that’s what encouraged me to stick with it.”

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In Seattle, Sleighter gained traction as a comedian. By his junior year he’d strategically scheduled classes strictly for Monday through Thursday. He stayed at his parents’ house on weekends so he could perform — and get paid — in the city. It was during this time that Sleighter realized he could actually do comedy as a profession, and that there was a tiered system in which stand up comics could work into.

After college, Sleighter took a news radio job in Seattle, which gave him time to continue working the circuit. He was lured to Boston, briefly, where he fell in love with the comedy scene but cost of living inevitably sent him back to Seattle to re-group and focus. At home, he found most of his comedy friends had packed up and headed to Los Angeles.

Sleighter soon followed suit.

“When I got to LA in 2008, it was a different time,” recalled Sleighter. “Even though the media landscape was shifting, there was this sort of playbook for making it as a comedian. You worked on and developed a strong five-minute set, got a late night slot, and then landed a sitcom. That’s what everyone was aiming for not fully understanding that in a few years network TV would mean much less in a comedy career.”

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Sleighter followed that playbook and landed multiple slots on Comedy Central, Sirius Radio and Conan O’Brien.

“Los Angeles was like the grad school of comedy,” emphasized Sleighter. “I was there for 10 years and the first three I had a part time job, but the last six I was making it solely as a comedian. And that’s the beauty of the LA club system. If you’re willing to put in the work and learn, it just makes you better and better.”

As YouTube and social media gained more influence, and as platforms like Netflix and Hulu began producing their own comedy specials, Sleighter realized things were changing and that he’d need to up his self-promotion game. He launched a website. He joined YouTube and TikTok and made videos. Sleighter built his own digital platform in which he could cultivate an audience interested specifically in his brand of comedy.

After 10 years in Los Angeles, Sleighter and his wife decided it was time to move where they could afford a home. In 2019, they landed in Portland, and Sleighter turned up the juice on his social media and Internet presence. Instead of following that old LA comedy playbook, Sleighter now follows his own rules by booking and promoting his shows across the country.

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“If you want to survive in this changing media landscape, you’ve got to be able to draw and command your own audience and use all the tools to do that,” emphasized Sleighter. “Believe me, it’s not out of the joy of social media, but to use these tools to get people out and come see shows. As good as those late night slots are, it doesn’t make you famous or lead to a sustainable career the way being on Johnny Carson did in its day.”

In January, Sleighter put another feather in his funny hat when he appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden. His comedy is thoughtful, often focused on the conundrums of daily life, and sometimes considers what it takes to make it at as a married comedian whose recently become a father. He doesn’t rely on shock or profanity but instead delivers his act in a jovial, conversational manner.

It’s clear he loves what he does.

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“These days, it’s a huge work around to be a comedian,” mused Sleighter. “I bought a camera and use it to film clips that I edit for YouTube and different social media, and sometimes it’s incredibly frustrating, but it’s an important tool. And I have to be part of those platforms if I want to keep writing jokes and trying to be funny. If making videos in the living room or wherever for TikTok and Instagram help me keep doing what I love, then I’m in.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA events: Comedian Andrew Sleighter at Front Porch Improv