When most freshmen were getting drunk and reveling in the new freedom of college and house parties, Rob Gleeson began performing stand-up in Denver.
While earning his finance degree at DU, Gleeson was already touring comedy clubs and college campuses.
Last week, Gleeson, 2010 graduate and now full-time professional comic, revisited his old stomping grounds, performing at DU.
Though his finance degree never really helped him in his full-time job as a comic, he is glad that he ended up going to DU.
“It’s a great place to develop, in a city with a strong comedy scene,” said Gleeson.
Responding to a Craig’s List ad for a small black box theatre that wanted an experienced comic to open for a play, Gleeson got his first gig as a stand-up comic.
“I had zero experience, literally had never done stand up in my life. So I did what anyone would do, I looked them in the eye, said I had been doing it for three years and got the gig,” Gleeson said. “They were too stupid to Google me. It’s also entirely possible that I’m the only person who replied to the ad.”
From that first gig he went to perform around the city and quickly became a regular in the Denver comedy scene. By the time he was 21, Gleeson started going out on the road.
He says he started small, at a bar in Wyoming or Nebraska, but his acts slowly snowballed into bigger venues, performances at actual comedy clubs and touring colleges.
“Though I remember watching a lot of stand-up as a kid, and wanting to try it, I never thought I would end up doing it for a living,” Gleeson said.
Coming up with jokes is a daily task for the now 23-year-old.
“I try to sit down and write every day, but honestly, I’m not always that disciplined. So far, while writing these responses [to the interview], I’ve checked Facebook nine times and changed my profile picture twice,” Gleeson said.
Coming back to DU and performing in front of a home crowd last week, Gleeson discovered once again there is a universal language between DU students and alumni that always makes for a great experience.
“I’ve done sets at DU where all I talk about is Halls, the Ritchie Center and the Border,” Gleeson said.
Gleeson spent his years at DU with a double life. He was a full-time student and a full-time comic on the side.
“Stand-up became really consuming. I should have slowed down and spent more time at the bars and hockey games,” Gleeson said.
One of the biggest differences in performing at a college instead of in a club is that college kids students are smarter than club crowds, Gleeson said. He prefers to perform in front of college crowds, unless the school is religiously affiliated.
“Those shows are like performing on pins and needles. As if Jesus never cursed,” Gleeson said.
The future looks promising for this DU alumnus; not only does Gleeson have another big college tour with 15 to 20 schools planned for this fall, but he is also trying to branch out into the TV business.
“I’m in the process of pitching a couple shows to various networks, which is tedious but fun,” said Gleeson. “Other than that I have a pretty slow summer, which will be really nice, and I can’t wait to kick off the tour this fall.”
