Episode 92 with Melissa McGillicuddy
June 3rd, 2022
The Circle of Comedy
Comedian Melissa McGillicuddy (Voted best comedian, Sacramento News & Review 2019) will be headlining at the Comedy Edge Saturday, June 18th and I was happy to have the chance to grab her for a conversation about how she got her start in comedy even though she's shy, hear her worst stories of bombing and her tips for writing great material.
Get tickets to see Melissa McGillicuddy at the Comedy Edge, Saturday, June 18th>>
Melissa McGillicuddy is a stand-up comedian based in Sacramento, California. As a newcomer to the scene in 2015, she won the Wildcard Competition at the Sacramento Comedy Festival. Since then, Melissa has performed at SF Sketchfest, the World Series of Comedy, and colleges all across the country. She has also opened for talented comedians such as Cameron Esposito, River Butcher, and Vicki Barbolak.
Being an only child raised by a single mom in a conservative town, Melissa found she didn’t always fit in, so she used humor as a way to connect with people. Her dry wit and unique perspective on life make her a hit with audiences everywhere.
Melissa also co-produces the Moving Van Show, a monthly, secret pop-up comedy show, as well as Sacramento FemmeFest, the city's first all-female comedy festival. In 2019, Melissa was voted best comedian by the Sacramento News & Review.
Photo: Cody Martin
Holly Shaw, CHT is a performance coach, creativity researcher and stand up comedian and has spent a lifetime in film, T.V. and on professional stages all over the world as an actor, dancer, and director. She has helped hundreds of artists, from Emmy award winning and Grammy nominated artists to world class choreographers overcome their anxiety, stage fright, impostor syndrome, and creative blocks so that they can create original work and totally crush it on stage again and again without feeling like they're selling out or losing their sanity.
In 2016, Shaw wrote and published, The Creative Formula which has become an Amazon bestseller and in 2020 published her second book, Making Art In The Middle of Madness which has become a #1 New Release. The Performers & Creators Lab podcast was named one of 2019's most outstanding podcasts by Databird Research. She teaches regularly at the Screen Actors Guild Conservatories in L.A. and SF and produces The Comedy Edge showcase in Oakland, CA where she lives with her son. Follow her on Instagram to stay up to date: @hollyshawspritely
Dan Cantrell is an Emmy award winning composer and multi-instrumentalist known for his innovative film scoring approach, and his virtuosic abilities on the accordion, piano and musical saw. “Hauntingly beautiful…quirky and energetic” says the San Francisco Bay Guardian. His extensive scoring catalogue spans a wide range of emotion and style.
Dan’s compositions for film and television have earned him numerous awards including an Emmy Award for KQED’s Home-Front,a Golden Gate award for the soundtrack to the documentary Divided Loyalties, and an Annie nomination for his work on three seasons of Cartoon Network’s the Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.
His Orchestral music was recently featured by the Oakland Symphony, and his chamber music was performed at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the arts, and in Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. Dan also recently composed a suite of choral music performed by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir as part of their yearly concert series. Visit bellowhead.com
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