Turning Rejection Into Momentum
I'm Glad I Didn't Give Up This Week (Messed-Up But Managing #27)
Sunday night was a letdown. Why? I was rejected. After several months of waiting for some sorta response, a comedy booker straight-up told me in an email, “I don’t book Christian comedians.” Umm… okay?! I’ve worked with one of the companies you represent several times and it was fantastic each time. But sure, go ahead and bring your brand of rejection with a heaping side of discrimination; I’ll take it to go and feed it to the dumpster.
Look, I get it: some venues have specific vibes. Certain shows draw certain crowds and bookers all know this as do comedians. And if you don’t want to work with me, cool. That’s your call. Just don’t paint me with a lazy brush and act like I roll up on stage with a Bible, a tambourine, and a joke about Leviticus.
Anyway, the point is: I got rejected. And it sucked. I could’ve sulked, thrown a pity party, sat in the depression, and eaten all the snacks alone. But I didn’t. I took the hit right on the chin, swallowed my pride, and got to work. And now, five days later, here’s how the week turned out:
I booked a nice paying gig in VA, opening for a comic who loved the set I sent. Highest paying gig for 1 set in my comedy career thus far!
I scheduled more than half-a-dozen guests for my “Messed-Up To Set-Ups” podcast. And none of them asked, “Are you one of those ‘Christian comedians’?”
I recorded and released an episode of “The Pro-Laugh Podcast.”
I dropped a YouTube Short that hit over 2,000 plays. Not viral, but I’ll take it.
I had lunch with a famous comedian who said, “Sure, I’ll mentor you.”
Said comedian is connecting me with a booker in Charlotte. You know, the kind who thinks the only necessary label is: funny.
He also told me to send him some Bill Maher-style jokes because… he writes for Maher. He said he’d send them in with my name on. So, yeah. No pressure. But that was awesome!
I got new subscribers on Udemy, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Basically, I went from rejected to refreshed across platforms. (Though I did lose a few followers on this here Substack blog this week.)
I wrote two long-form bits. Each has 21 jokes.
I went to three joke-writing workshops.
I performed at a new open mic.
Two other bookers reached out and said, “We’ll be in touch.”
(Oops, forgot 13. Classic comedy superstition. You’re welcome.)
I finalized a 15-minute set for an upcoming KY show. It’s tight. It’s sharp. It doesn’t mention Noah’s Ark once.
I made some good connections this week with bookers and comics. Apparently rejection is networking fuel.
I got booked for a SC show I’m really excited about.
I met with another comic and brainstormed some killer ideas for building comedy tools and resources.
I wrote a few blog posts.
And remember that booker who rejected me? The parent organization actually wrote and said they want to explore more things with me. Rejection level: Reverse Uno card.
Also, I actually got to talk openly about my faith in a comedy club where one entire bit that evening was 4 minutes of just bashing and mocking Christianity. Another comic was being kind before the show, came over and asked some questions, and opened up the way to listen to his life and faith journey and also to share some of mine. This guy still has Christian tattoos. Still wants to remember where he came from. That was the moment for me. That’s the real stuff. It was cool.
So here’s the lesson: Rejection hurts. But it doesn’t have to stop you. You can sit in the wreckage, or you can use the pieces to build something. This week, I built something. So, next time you get the door slammed in your face, don’t knock again. Kick down a new one. Do some work. Then tell some jokes in the rubble!