Regarding his plans for the rest of the year, he said, “To keep working. There is always more to do. There are always more levels. Right now, I am working on a deeply personal set.”
He uses such modern technology as his YouTube channel to get the word out on his work. “My Instagram is getting bigger. I am on my computer very often,” he said, about his use of technology in his daily routine as a comic.
“I actually had portable wireless Internet since 2005,” he added, prior to adding that he has always been tech-savvy to make his craft better.
In a video that has gone viral, Hofstetter owned one of his hecklers at his show at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. “That kid just got attention and he didn’t know what that entailed so I gave it to him,” he said.
He praised Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club as a “really fun club to work at.” “I hadn’t been there in over a decade and it was so much fun. I am going back next year. I already have it down on the calendar for April of 2020,” he said.
On being a comedian in this digital age, Hofstetter responded, “I haven’t been a comedian in any other age, so it’s hard to say. The older comics will give the new comics a hard for using digital means to promote. My take on that is that ‘I can’t go on a morning radio show once and sell out a weekend.’ Those days are gone. The idea of doing one Tonight Show set and being a household name is gone, so we have to turn to digital communication. We are doing a modern version of what they are doing.”
For young and aspiring comedians, he said, “Stop being aspiring and just be. Your only job is to get better. Go perform in as many places and as much time as you can. Know your worth and be honest about your worth. Nobody is going to treat you with respect if you don’t respect yourself.”
His book Ginger Kid: Mostly True Tales from a Former Nerd is available on Amazon. “The book is predominantly about bullying and it reached a lot of people that have been through that or kids that have gone through that,” he said.
For his fans and supporters, Hofstetter said, “Thank you. I get to lead a pretty cool life and it’s because people have led me into their day. I know that when I release a video people are going to watch it, and when I play a show, people are going to buy tickets. When people send me a nice message, what they don’t realize is that it does a lot for me, as my comedy does for them.”
Hofstetter defined success as “being able to walk into any comedy club in the country and then immediately being asked to do a set.” “That is a true success as a comic,” he said.
To learn more about stand-up comedian Steve Hofstetter, check out his official website and his Facebook page.
