Shea first performed stand-up in high school, but didn’t have many opportunities to practice the craft regularly until he got to Dayton. He was impressed by Dayton’s comedy scene, especially the amount of open mics.
“There was no comedy club in town [Columbia, S.C.],” he said. “So when I got here, and people were telling me that their first time ever doing comedy was on a comedy club open mic, my brain was like, ‘How dare you. I had to work for years to do a comedy club open mic.’”
He hit the mics and eventually saw that there was a need in the scene for how to utilize social media for shows and for comics to promote themselves. With a background and degree in communication, he had the social media skills to help.
In 2017, he launched the Gem City Comedy website, which just started as a basic place to list open mics and have comedian profiles. Eventually, the site started to grow and now has a presence on Facebook and Instagram. Shea said while some might not want to put the effort into social media, he said it is a necessity for any comic.
“I get it [social media] is draining and exhausting, but that’s the nature of the beast,” he said. “It’s one of those things that if what I do for a living is just part of my hobby now, call me a fatalist or whatever. I’m more along the lines of, this is reality. I’m trying to minimize my headache. Minimizing the headache means knowing how to do this.”
When COVID-19 hit, Shea said that the entire comedy scene had to hit the reset button. The open mics were canceled, and comedians had to learn how to promote themselves differently, mostly online. However, the comics that are still grinding after the pandemic are really coming into their own.
“It [pandemic] knocked something loose,” he said. “The Dayton comedy scene came out of the pandemic ready to prove something … The needs of the scene had changed, and the website is a great place for comedians when they need a place to go.”
Shea has worked with Bricky’s Comedy Club to host social media workshops to share his expertise in the area. The website is still evolving, as is Shea. He also began producing shows under the Gem City Comedy name. The first was at Gather by Ghostlight last year. He has more recently produced shows at the Dana L. Wiley Gallery inside Front Street.
“There are pros and cons that go with it [producing] on every factor,” he said. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just another open mic, but even I didn’t want it to be just another showcase. We have a lot of showcases … I wanted a structured show with a headliner, host and a couple people in the middle.”
The shows started off well, but some hiccups with illness and venues have slowed the producing part for Shea, but more shows are always a possibility in the future. However, in July 2025, Gem City Comedy became an LLC and is now a legit business.
The business now has a more updated website with merchandise, a blog and has also launched a Patreon where people can pay for content. However, there is a free option. Anyone can also donate to the cause. One thing that Shea really wants to focus on in the future is making connections within the community.
Shea has partnered with businesses, including Poppets Coffee & Tea, as well as the Barrel House. They recently hosted a show at the Barrel House to help raise money and food for those who were having issues receiving their SNAP benefits, which Shea said was a very special show.
“One of the big driving forces for me is that I have a real strong sense of community,” he said. “Getting Gem City Comedy to be as much a part of the Dayton community was really important to me.”
Shea works for a local non-profit now but is also hard at work keeping up with the Gem City Comedy site and socials. In his limited spare time, he is a big fan of heavy metal music and comic books. But comedy is definitely his first love, even though it can be daunting at times.
“I have imposter syndrome,” he said. “But you will bury yourself if you are constantly comparing your own successes. I am so bad about that, but I am very much aware of the fact that I am the pot calling the kettle black. But that’s just the name of the game, and at the end of day … this is supposed to be fun.”
Visit www.gemcitycomedy.com for more information about local shows and how to sign up for Patreon.
Laugh Riot Girl round-up
The Unteachables Comedy Tour Unprofessional Development will take place at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Dayton Funny Bone, 88 Plum St. at The Greene. Comedians Lou Pharis and Joe McKenna are school teachers turned comedians and will tell all the jokes about their experiences with students. As a professor myself, I can tell you, there are some wild stories. Tickets are $22-$27 and can be purchased by visiting www.dayton.funnybone.com.
The Gem City Groundlings “A Comedy of Errors” at 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Dayton Convention Center, 22 E. Fifth St. This William Shakespeare comedic play gets a Christmas twist when two Santas and their mischievous elf assistants arrive in the same town without realizing their doubles are already there. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by visiting www.gemcitygroundlings.com.
LAUGH RIOT GIRL
Laugh Riot Girl is a column by comedian and writer Jessica Graue that explores the local comedy scene and issues surrounding it. Reach her by email at jessica.graue@coxinc.com.
Credit: Chris West
Credit: Chris West
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