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had the pleasure of getting to know our first headlining comedian Thomas Brown. A native of Tampa, Florida, Thomas soon found ways to express his comedic voice in his everyday life. Raised by a single father with a military background, his upbringing was strict but beneficial to his evolution as a man, a thinker, and a comedian. Thomas laughed, “when I was punished, things were taken away, but not for a week or a month. They didn’t come back. They were gone.” Some could argue that penalties so strict would make a person act right for sure or in Thomas’ case make sure the act was worth the punishment. He claims the worst thing he was ever punished for was manipulating a situation between other parties that didn’t even involve him in order to watch the mayhem between the two come to a head. It’s with that same puppet master angle that Thomas graces the stage. The equation? What happens when I take this and that, then introduce myself? The answer? Hilarity.
Having grown up secretly listening to his dad’s Richard Pryor albums when he wasn’t around, Thomas would soon find that his bar for a comedian was set far too high. Now comedically spoiled having had the privilege to experience the legend among legends, he went to see an open mic night expecting to see similar a similar level of hilarity from other comics and found himself highly disappointed. Ready to leave out of frustration with the performances, he was dared to come back, get on stage, and do better than them. So he came and so he did. “My argument wasn’t that I was funny, just that I was funnier than those guys.” Thomas actually went on stage with no planned material whatsoever and just proceeded to make fun of the audience, and so a career was born.
Originally Thomas was just a fan of comedy, like anyone else, but had no dreams of becoming a comedian. He longed to become a metal fabricator after spending so much time as a kid in auto body shops. He wanted to work on cars doing custom jobs and so he went to school to learn the craft, started his own business, and had clientele such as baseball legends Gary Sheffield and Dwight Gooden. The thought of leaving his business for comedy hadn’t hit until he reached a point where he could make more money in a weekend of performances than he could in a week at the shop. Early in his career Thomas was already headlining in “B” rooms and eventually landed a deal that would help escalate his career and progress as a comedian to new heights.
What started out as a 2 week experience grew into a 16 year and running relationship with Carnival Cruise Lines, the biggest Cruise Line in the world, where he’d perform for vacationing people of all kinds. “The unique thing about performing there was that I got to perform on a big stage in front of 2,500 people every time.” He explained that having a crowd that big really helps you get a true understanding of what in your act is truly funny and what still needs work and after tackling a stage of that size, any stage could feel comfortable. “You have to get on stage and know you’re funny, not believe you’re funny.” I’m sure a room of 2,500 people who expect you not to be a dull spot in their vacation has a
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way of bringing that out of a comic. Just think, if you don’t do well, you’ve still got nowhere to run and hide, at least until you make port. True character is shown in moments of adversity and Thomas would not disappoint. He’d go on to be voted #1 on AOL’s “Best Cruise Line Comedian” poll two years in a row.
Thomas Brown
Along the way he was discovered by a man who goes by the name of Jeff Foxworthy, headliner for the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, creator of the popular “You might be a redneck if…” joke, star of the Jeff Foxworthy show, Writer and Performer of the highest grossing comedy album in history, and host of “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?”. Foxworthy got to see one of his performances and after some discussions, one day out of the blue Foxworthy invited Thomas to come out and open for him if he could get to Indiana by the next day. Thomas got there and opened for Jeff, on tour, for the next 2 years. Where he was present for the recording of Foxworthy’s famed comedy album.
As the years have gone on, he’s racked up a load of material, too much in fact than his act can allow. It was with that in mind that he recorded his first album “Stupid Things That People Do”. He explained that it was the right time because there was so much material that was funny and timeless but he had no more room for. Those jokes catered more to his outlooks of life as a single man and it was time for him to evolve as a comedian, as all great comics must do. Now a happily married man and a father of two, Thomas is looking to, above all be a great dad while taking his career to new heights on and off stage. Thomas chuckled “I love my kids and I want to give them all the good I had and more. Like for them, when they do something wrong they get time out. Me? My time was up.”
No, he has no relation whatsoever to Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns”. Yes, he was voted “Best Comedian in Tampa Bay 2001″ by Tampa Bay Magazine. To call him “driven” is a vast understatement. In my eyes, the sky is truly the limit for Thomas who has proven himself to be a highly educated, motivated, and inspired individual with a true understanding of how things in this world and business are accomplished. What’s more is he’ll do it with a smile on his face. He’s a walking example of “putting in the work will pay off in the end.” Jokerslivecomedy.com is proud to welcome him as our Grand Opening Headliner.
For more information on Thomas Brown, you can visit www.thomasbrown.com
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Behind the Mic is aimed at helping show the public what kind of person their favorite comics are off stage. If you're a nationally headlining comedian and you're interested in having your own Behind the Mic interview. Please fill out the "Contact Us" form below.
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A Graduate of the University of Tampa’s Communications Department, Johnathan has been a student and fan of comedy from childhood. He’s written a wide range of comedy material from, stand-up, sketch, short film, feature film, to music, since age 17. In 2009 he was awarded an internship with the Cannes Film Festival in France for his work in screenwriting as a student.