A show where comics talk about their first time on stage.
First Mic
Claim This Podcastby Ira Cross
5.0(8 reviews)
34 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
A show where comics talk about their first time on stage.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
4/3/2026
1 verified contact email on file for First Mic
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Recent Episodes
July 23, 2026
Embrace The Suck | Ty Moore
<p>Ty Moore's first open mic ended with a headliner running on stage and taking the mic out of his hands three minutes in — and honestly? He was relieved. Twelve years later, he hosts Bobo's, the Monday-night comedy open mic at Cafe Bourbon Street, one of the most beloved stand-up rooms in Columbus, Ohio.</p> <p>On this episode of the First Mic podcast, Ty tells Ira Cross the whole origin story: getting cut from Ohio State's Fishbowl Improv thirty minutes after the audition, signing up late at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe (now Threes) and going up after midnight on $3 Miller Lite drafts, and the May 27, 2014 set that finally made comedy stick. If you're wondering what to expect at your first open mic, this is the honest version: the list fills early, you might not go up until 12:10 AM, and it's fine to suck. Ty's rule for every new comedian — "Embrace the suck. Learn from the suck." — might be the best advice this show has aired. And his real answer to how to deal with hecklers: match their energy, keep the crowd on your side, and aim the roast back at yourself before you aim it at them — illustrated by a country-club gig and a heckler named Princess. Filmed at Rehab Tavern in Columbus.</p> <p>Comics: what time did you finally go up at YOUR first mic? Tell us in the comments.</p> <p>🎙️ Follow Ty Moore: Instagram: @tysnotfunny X/Twitter: @tysnotfunny Catch him hosting the open mic Mondays at Cafe Bourbon Street, and Tuesdays at The Attic Comedy Club for Two for Tuesday.</p> <p>🔗 First Mic is part of the Indie Comedy Collective: YouTube: youtube.com/@IndieComedyCollective Instagram: @indiecomedycollective</p>
July 16, 2026
Comedy Ruined My Life | Zach Harley
<p>A fight broke out at Zach Harley's first open mic — and the bartender brought out a wooden bat. The Columbus comic tells the whole story on First Mic.</p> <p>Zach spent over a decade behind microphones before he ever tried a joke on stage: high school play-by-play in Parma, country radio in Akron, then producing morning news in Columbus — including associate-producing his college's Boston Marathon coverage on the day of the bombing, as a freshman. When they offered him the biggest paycheck he'd ever seen to run a whole station, he said no. He'd rather tell jokes about his lazy eye to 10 people. His words.</p> <p>Instead: a couple years as a teacher's aide (until a joke got him fired), then a first open mic at the Shrunken Head that ended with bartender Trish pulling a wooden bat on a heckler while Ty Moore muscled the guy out the door. Almost five years later, Zach manages Hashtag Comedy Club's free Friday open mic in the Short North (10:45 PM) and burns brand-new material every week at Ty's Café Bourbon Street mic.</p> <p>Wondering what to expect at your first open mic? This episode is the honest version: Columbus mics are free (New York often isn't), you'll feel great on stage and cringe about it five years later — and Zach's advice for new comics is simple: pick who you want to listen to, and don't listen to anybody else.</p> <p>What happened at YOUR first open mic — or the wildest one you've ever watched? Tell us in the comments.</p> <p>🎙️ Follow Zach Harley: Instagram: @zachharley</p> <p>🔗 First Mic is part of the Indie Comedy Collective: YouTube: youtube.com/@IndieComedyCollective Instagram: @indiecomedycollective</p>
July 9, 2026
She Broke the Funny Bone Open Mic's #1 Rule. Now She Runs It | Nickey Winkelman
<p><strong>Evergreen query targeted: "what to expect at your first open mic" — answered directly in paragraph two.</strong></p> <p>Nickey Winkelman has done stand-up for 20 years and never left Columbus, Ohio — on purpose. Her first open mic? Eight minutes at a UCSB variety show at 19.</p> <p>That's over the line at most mics. At her first Columbus mic — the 2006 Funny Bone contest where Kenny Mock also did his first Columbus set — she went over her time again and got THE talk from Rick Tempesta, the famously tough comic who ran that mic for years. He put her through anyway, with a warning she never forgot. Twenty years later, Nickey co-runs that same Funny Bone open mic with Jesse Pimpinella, and this episode doubles as the etiquette class every new comic needs. If you're wondering what to expect at your first open mic: stick to your time, watch for the light, respect the staff, and be a good audience member — Nickey breaks down the unwritten rules she once broke herself.</p> <p>Ira and Nickey also get into dropping out of theater school in Santa Barbara, getting sober back home in Clintonville, booking Shadowbox Live's Up Front Stage with Jimmy Mak ("Tuesdays with Mak and Winks"), her Go Bananas headlining debut in Cincinnati, and why "Is this enough?" might be the healthiest question in comedy.</p> <p>Catch Nickey at the Columbus Comedy Festival, Aug 27–30, on the FemaleAF showcase with Amber Falter — schedule at columbuscomedyfest.com.</p> <p>🗨️ Nickey needs your help: what was the video rental store on Indianola in Clintonville called? Drop it in the comments.</p> <p>🎙️ Follow Nickey Winkelman: Instagram: @NickeyWink </p> <p>🔗 First Mic is part of the Indie Comedy Collective: YouTube: youtube.com/@IndieComedyCollective Instagram: @indiecomedycollective</p>
34 total episodes available
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This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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