|
Event
Comedian Juston McKinney
Juston McKinney was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He spent his elementary years at the Little Harbor School before moving across the bridge into Kittery Maine in the fifth grade. He grew up around cops, as they were always over at his house, arresting his dad. He attended high school at Traip Academy, and after graduation, he decided to further his education. He was accepted to the prestigious Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute (S.M.V.T.I. now SMCC). Only the select few who are able to fill out an application can get in. ââ
At age 19 he was hired by the York County Sheriffâs Department as a rural patrol deputy. Although too young to buy his own bullets, he loved his job which included patrolling 14 towns and 500 square miles. He prided himself on being a good, honest cop.
After a couple of years he began teaching the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, splitting time between the streets and the classroom. ââAfter telling kids to stay away from drugs and to get on with their dreams, he decided to follow his own advice. In the mid 90s he moved to Boston to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. He stayed on as a part time member of his department driving up to Maine to work patrol around his comedy gigs. ââ
In 1997, he had to resign from his department after seven years of service when his comedy career took him to New York City. The move seemed to pay off as he became a regular performer at the Comic Strip, Stand-up New York, Dangerfieldâs, Carolineâs on Broadway and the Gotham Comedy Club. âHe signed with a Los Angeles-based agent and shortly after, in 1998, signed a six-figure development deal with Warner Brothers to write and star in his own sitcom. The show never made it but the next year he signed an even bigger deal with CBS Productions. Unfortunately, the arrival of reality TV such as Survivor and Big Brother meant he had the wrong TV show at the wrong time, and although it was extremely close, the show never got on the air. The sudden financial reward of having two development deals would seem to have set Juston up well. However, while in New York, he befriended a waiter at Dangerfieldâs Comedy Club who was a part-time stockbroker. The waiter/stockbroker talked him into putting all his money in the market. Very shortly after, in 2000, the market crashed, which left him with virtually nothing. Juston likes to perform on stage because that appears to be the only place he has good timing. Some free financial advice from Juston, âNever give hundreds of thousands of dollars to a waiter. Youâre supposed to give waiters tips, not take tips from waiters.â ââ
In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles and became a regular performer at the Improv. In 2002 he performed both stand-up and his one-man show, My Brotherâs Father at the US comedy Arts Festival. Later that year he made his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and 2004 made a return appearance. In 2007 he was chosen to be part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour-Next Generation hosted by Bill Engvall. The show was recorded at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, aired on TBS, and was released by Warner Bros. on DVD/CD. He has appeared in numerous shows on Comedy Central including his half hour presents special.
In 2010 will be the premiere of his own one hour Comedy Central special âA Middle-class Holeâ. The special will be released as a DVD/CD. Also in 2010 he appeared on the Tonight Show with Conan OâBrien.
|
|
 |
LocationThe Comedy Connection
16 Custom House Wharf
Portland, ME 04101
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
|
Contact
|
