[00:00:00] Scott DeLuzio: Getting out of the military can feel like you’re stepping into a room where nobody speaks your language. The structure that you once had is gone. The jokes that you used to tell just don’t land right, and the people around you have no clue what you actually went through. This episode today, uh, is going to be a conversation with a Marine who found a new mission through standup comedy.

The guests say, Michael DeAngelo talks about the Marine Corps humor, that that kept people’s steady. The, the first time he tried an open mic night that almost made him bolt, uh, and the moment he decided to build his own lane instead of waiting for permission from those already established in the comedy field.

He sent 400 letters to marine units, started booking shows, and it turned into the Rapid Fire comedy tour, which brings comedians to troops and first responders for a real morale boost. You you’ll [00:01:00] also hear about how the tour you know, operates as a 5 0 1 C3, why sponsors matter and why they finally are getting out there in front of other troops and.

The support that they, they are giving to them and why that actually matters. Before we get into this episode though, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that’s deeply important to our community. The Global War On Terrorism Memorial Foundation. This organization is working to build a permanent national memorial in Washington DC to honor the service members, families, and civilians impacted by the global war on terrorism.

Memorial will be both a tribute to those who served and a way to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized and remembered for generations to If like learn more, find out how you can support their mission, visit GWOT memorial foundation org. Now, let’s get into today’s episode.

[00:02:00]

[00:02:04] Scott DeLuzio: Hey Michael, welcome to the show. Really glad to have you here.

[00:02:08] Michael D’Angelo: Thanks for having me, Scott.

[00:02:10] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, you bet.

Hey before we kind of jump into the, the episode and the content here that we’re gonna be talking about can you maybe just start by telling the listeners a little bit about yourself and a little bit about who you are?

Just for anyone who might be might not be familiar with you, I should say.

[00:02:23] Michael D’Angelo: Sure. Yeah. So my name is Michael DeAngelo. I’m a Marine. a comedian. That’s kind of the two big labels that I’m wearing. Living in Los Angeles, but I’m from Las Vegas. I joined the Marine Corps when I was about 17 years old and kind of trying to escape Las Vegas and I served about five years in the Marine Corps.

And when I got out, you know, I was with the same thing everybody deals with, you know, I was hurting and not knowing what I was gonna do next. And I kind of found my way into standup comedy and. You know, fast forward about five years after that, I, I moved to Los Angeles to try and grow as a comedian. [00:03:00] And when I first got to Los Angeles, I was not getting welcomed. So I started my own comedy tour I go out and I perform for the military. And kind of like my, my bread and butter now I, I put on, I produce comedy shows for military and first

responder communities.

Anywhere they’ll

have me any climb,...