Meet Brian Wright | Owner of Shamrock Comedy Club & Mental Reps Productions

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Wright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, how do you think about risk?
No matter what you decide to do in life, it’s going to take hard work. Waking up at 4am to get to McDonald’s by 5am so you can run the fryer – that’s hard work. Admirable work. However, the difference between doing what you want, and what you’re forced to do is a series of hard decisions, the willingness to take calculated risks, and the willingness to fail.

It’s scary not having the next steps mapped out for you. It’s scary not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from. Enduring through that though, might be the difference between you hating your work, and living out your dreams.

Big rewards don’t come cheap, or easy. The best things in my life have come and the edge of my comfortability. If these things were easy, everyone would do it. BUT – the option is there… for everyone.

We only live one life – mine as well leave it all out on the field.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I grew up in a strict Christian household, with a father who was a general contractor and an elder at our local congregation. My mother was from a dysfunctional Catholic home, eager to find a better way to raise a family. They are both complicated and wonderful people. He and my mother taught me my work ethic, and the importance of sacrifice for the greater good. My father had me tying steel in the South Florida heat at 8 years old. The next day, I’d be giving a speech at our church, which my mother helped me prepare. She was an English major, so my pronunciation had to be perfect. They both taught me how to play music, show love, help others and be a part of the community. Our home was filled with love, music and laughter – all after a long hard days work, of course.

I was born with something called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. It is a rare neurological disorder that limits the functionality of my nerves in my legs and feet. I have had several operations over the years, and I’ve been walking with a cane or crutches since the age of 14. Though this has tremendously impacted my life, my family never let me feel “different” or “other”. They provided the perspective I needed to get through the tough times. There is always something to be grateful for, and someone who has it far worse. Being fully honest with ones self, while choosing to direct brain-power towards positivity is essential to steering clear of the “victim mentality”, which leads nowhere fast.

I took to guitar and piano, working my way up to being a paid musician. I worked for my father on his job sites, doing whatever I could manage. I dabbled in retail, owned my own landscape company at the age of 17, went to work at American Express for a few years, quickly becoming the #2 salesperson in the nation. I started my own medical supply company and sold it at the age of 25.

I soon broke up with my fiancé at the time, so a new chapter was needed. I had always wanted to get into radio, so I decided to sign up for Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Doral, FL. Classes started in June. In July, the school Director approached me and suggested I audition for Newsradio 610 WIOD for a full-time job traffic reporting. I got the gig. By August, I was writing and reporting the news. By September, I was in the press box at the Miami Dolphins game, covering my first football game. By October, I had been hired by Paul & Young Ron to assist on production. This is when I started building my book of Comedians, as Paul often had multiple comedians stop by each week.

After years of working every job I wanted to try in radio, I settled on DJ. I worked at Entercom (Audacy), mainly on 104.3 The Shark. I also worked on-air on 99.9 KISS, 102.7 The Beach, 101.5 LITE FM, 790 The Ticket, 560 WQAM & Power 96. In 2019, I started interviewing all the comedians coming into town at Hard Rock or other major venues on my Audacy Podcast, “Comedy Cove w/ Brian Wright”. This is around the time I started producing my own shows and met my soon to be wife. Life was good. Then… 2020 happened.

Myself, along with half of my incredible co-workers temporarily or permanently lost their jobs. I made the tough decision to leave radio behind, start my own podcast, produce my own live events, do voice-overs from my home studio and build my business. This turned out the be one of the best decisions of my life. While I miss radio very much, I now have 100% ownership over my work. I often work from home on production and voice-overs, see my audience face to face at my live events, help comedians hone their craft in pursuit of their dreams, and hopefully bring some laughter and joy to peoples lives in the process. It is hard, fulfilling, stressful, rewarding, sometimes low-paying, life-affirming work… and I love it so damn much.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Love this question… here are my answers:

RESTAURANTS:
Mai Kai – Restaurant & Polynesian Show
The Field – Irish Pub & Eatery
La Bamba – Mexican & Spanish Restaurant
Milk Money Bar & Kitchen
Elbo Room
S3 (Sun, Surf, Sand) Restaurant
Nubé Rooftop
Adam & Joe’s Eatery
Olé Olé – Mexican Restaurant
Ocean Prime
Jacksons Ice Cream

TO DO:
Fort Lauderdale Beach
Boat Day at the Sand Bar
Las Olas Boulevard Shopping
Sawgrass Mall & Outlets
Everglades Airboat Ride
Attend a Game (Dolphins, Heat, Panthers, Marlins, Inter Miami, Hurricanes)
IMAX @ Museum of Discovery & Science
Play Golf at Jacaranda Country Club
Top Golf Driving Range

LODGING:
Beachcomber Resort & Club

REAL ESTATE:
Lilli Schipper at LoKation Real Estate
Matthew Stanley at Coral Shores Realty

CONTRACTORS:
Shaun Wright – General Contractor
Louis Gartner IV – Master Electrician

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Field – Irish Pub & Eatery:
The management and staff embraced me over 5 years ago when we started these pop-up events. They provided a venue for me to host comedy showcases, and they’ve supported us ever since.

Lilli Schipper of LoKation Real Estate:
Lilli came to our first ever event, which was a live podcast with comedian Bret Ernst and former professional football player Rashad Butler. She immediately asked what she could do to support our comedy shows, and have been a sponsor from the very beginning. Her support of Shamrock Comedy Club is unmatched.

Local Comedians:
The local comedians are what makes this whole ship float. I strive to take care of them, pay them, and support them in any way I can. They have returned the favor 10-fold – for which I’m forever grateful. We have a beautiful community of local comedians who look out for each other and those who support them. Seeing young, talented, hungry comedians put in the work and achieve success is the most rewarding part of my job.

Website: https://www.shamrockcomedyclub.com

Instagram: @shamrockcomedyclub

Twitter: @shamrocklaughs

Facebook: @shamrockcomedyclub

Yelp: Shamrock Comedy Club (Davie, FL)

Youtube: @shamrockcomedyclub

Other: @shamrockcomedyclub on TikTok