Meet Brittany Brave: An experienced comedian who isn’t afraid to put herself first!

Brittany Brave has an extensive background in comedy. She has trained, performed, and taught stand-up, improv and sketch comedy for the last 15 years. She has performed at UCB, Magnet, The PIT, NY Comedy Festival and more. You might expect a women who declared, “Laughter was my first love” to have always planned on a career in comedy, but she writes, “I did comedy leisurely through college and committed my entire life and career to it 5 years ago.”

Brave’s fodder for jokes comes from her daily life: “There’s a lot of humor in the little nuances of life that often go unnoticed, or unobserved, and there’s a lot of creative energy in struggles or tough situations. I really love Amy Poehler and Tina Fey for their versatility in entertainment, comedy and film, and I also admire Gilda Radner, Lenny Bruce, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock, Michael Ian Black and Lorne Michaels.”

As a woman in comedy, Brave takes on an extra burden to stay “self aware.” She writes, “I feel socially and creatively responsible to produce comedy with a correct message. I also anticipate and experience the adversity that comes with being a girl in a typical Boy’s Club and I think it’s made me funnier– or more so, sharper, bolder, less forgiving. I love gender-based humor, but it’s taught me to take my material outside of the box in order to really grow and excel.” We love that Brave can use gender-based humor to draw attention to discrimination and other issues, but also stretches beyond the obvious and explores different topics.

New comedians, listen up to this expert advice! “Focus on yourself and don’t settle. Also, so long as it’s not hurting others or putting someone else at a disadvantage, it’s more than OK to put yourself first. Run a little more time, book yourself, make yourself the headliner, get that introduction, be a little pushy. We’re conditioned to hesitate on those things because they’re not always ladylike or pretty, but they’re necessary and totally our right.” Props to Brittany Brave!