Ryan Wingfield is living his childhood dream. The University of Idaho alumnus said he knew he wanted to be a stand-up comedian as early as the second grade.
“Comedy was a childhood dream of mine,” Wingfield said. “My parents, of all people, were the ones who talked me into going to my first open mic event after I graduated college.”
Wingfield, an Alaska native with two bachelor”s degrees in journalism and mass media, said he started performing at open mic nights after he began his first journalism job in Boise.
Throughout the course of his career, Wingfield, who has been performing comedy for over a decade, said he has performed in 13 countries on three different continents.
“My job is not a job, it”s a fun thing for me to do,” Wingfield said. “I get paid to travel and perform regularly at nice places … I don”t have a job, I just get paid to have fun.”
While Wingfield enjoys his job, he said there are many challenges when it comes to writing comedy.
“There”s a ton you have to overcome – first of all, it”s humility,” Wingfield said. “I don”t know a single comic who hasn”t had terrible shows where you”re getting booed off of the stage … those never stop, you just learn to handle the rejection.”
When it comes to writing comedy, Wingfield said he draws inspiration from his every-day life and that his education at UI has had a big influence on his material.
“I talk a lot about college on the stage … my last semester, I was taking every fun elective I could,” Wingfield said. “I was taking fencing, I was on the cheer squad … it”s become a whole routine, my experiences in school.”
Wingfield said his background in journalism also influences the way he writes comedy today.
Ryan Wingfield | Courtesy
Comedian Ryan Wingfield first began performing after he graduated college in 2004.
“The writing style of journalism, where you”re condensing things down into simple ideas, is a lot similar to comedy,” Wingfield said. “You take a big concept and you condense it down but the difference is, I have to find a way to make it funny.”
Although his only source of income is made through performing stand-up, Wingfield said he also has a job as a stay-at-home parent.
“I”m a professional comedian and stay-at-home dad,” Wingfield said. “I prefer to be called a trophy husband, but my wife considers it to be more like a ribbon of participation.”
Wingfield, who currently lives in Boise, visited Moscow this week to perform at the Best Western University Inn on Thursday.
Mike O”Brien, the general manager of the Best Western University Inn, said he first began the tradition of Comedy Night in Coeur d”Alene.
“About four years ago I created Comedy Night,” O”Brien said. “Myself and Alvin Williams, the event”s host, used to be up in Coeur d”Alene … I moved it here when I moved to Moscow about a year ago.”
O”Brien said he first had the idea for the event, which is held four times a year, when he noticed there the lack of a comedy scene in the Inland Northwest.
“It was something missing in North Idaho, there wasn”t a comedy scene,” O”Brien said. “It hasn”t been too challenging because people want to come and have a good night out … it”s good, clean fun and it”s not your typical open mic night.”
Wingfield said he is happy to be performing back in Moscow and that he encourages students to pursue their passions in a realistic way.
“It”s important to follow your passion, but you don”t always have to do that 100 percent of the time,” Wingfield said. “I started performing 11 years ago but I still maintained my day job for four years before I started doing comedy full-time.”
Wingfield said one of the most important things for college students who are pursuing their dreams to remember is that personal happiness is more important than money.
“I know people with great jobs who are making lots of money and they”re not happy,” Wingfield said. “At the end of the day, you need to have fun with whatever it is you”re doing with your life.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond