Meet Raul Hernandez | Comedian, one of the founders of Dade County Comedy

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

Hi Raul, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It’s funny; none of us thought about where Dade County Comedy would be today. It all started in a parking lot, late at night. The three of us (Alex Tarno, Mike Dabba, & Raul Hernandez) were frustrated with certain aspects of the comedy scene here in south Florida.

We came to a point that we needed to take it upon ourselves to change the culture for the better.

It started with just one room (Exit One Taproom); but from there, with the support and love of local comedians & fans, we have grown tremendously.

The purpose of Dade County Comedy is to bring Miami to the forefront as a place for comedy. Of the four major metropolitan cities in the United States (Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, & New York); Miami is the one that has the most opportunity for growth and a place to create a new comedy community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Between the three of us (Alex Tarno, Mike Dabba, & Raul Hernandez), we have over 15 years of stand-up comedy combined. We are relentless in our pursuit of our comedy dreams. We will take any show, any kind of comedy, we will make you laugh.

Us getting to where Dade County Comedy is now was not easy. It was a ton of footwork, sweat, arguments; but most of all, it was us trusting in one another. We understand there are larger, and more complex challenges to come; but we are ready for those challenges. We can confidently say, we are the only comedy group in Miami that can perform in any location.

What we ultimately want is to make comedy in Miami a robust & thriving scene. The way we do that is:

1) Respecting our comedians (professionally & financially)
2) Making our shows a fun, pleasant environment; perfect to create new comedy fans

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Man, the one thing you can say about Miami is there are so many places that you can have a great time in.

Comedy wise, we would always recommend to check out a Dade County Comedy show 😉

We have shows 5 nights of the week, in every part of Miami.

If you are really wondering about a spot to eat at, you should ask Raul; homie can eat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We could shout out so many people here.

If we could speak locally, every comedian in the south Florida scene deserves props, truly. We hate the stigma that “Miami” comedians can’t take their comedy elsewhere. There are so many success stories of comedians coming from Miami. Honestly, we love the chip on the shoulder it gives all of us. It makes comedians that come out of here sharper, confident, and able to move forward where others struggle. Many of the comedians that have moved from here recently, have gone to start rooms and/or excel in other states like New York, Texas, Illinois, and Arizona.

There are many other people we need to give thanks to: The whole crew at Exit One Taproom, the amazing people at Sandbar Cutler Bay, all the awesome staff at Nightlife Brewing, the stupendous Tank Brewing group, Blackjack Anime, & Knowhere Comics for their kindness. Let us not forget about the town of Cutler Bay, such amazing people there. All of these venues have helped create a healthy, and growing comedy community in south Florida. That cannot be understated, and is truly something we are thankful for everyday.

There are so many other people to shout out: our families for supporting us and allowing us to pursue these comedy dreams.

Big Shoutout to our comedy family: Jeff Quintana, Shak of Trashfire Media, Shira Weitz, Sergio Mendez, Oriel Rodriguez, the Scheme Supreme crew (Chris Silio, David Martin, & Sebastian Rodriguez), Rodrigo Ramirez, Sean Mullins, Connie Fernandez, Mateo Rodriguez, Wynton Francis, Raul Colom, Chris Renois, Amanda Vasco, Jack Norris, Holli Lynne, Josh Silverman, Jay McCoard, Dano La Spada, Mars O’Neil, Carly Dagit, Jay Moreno, Carlos Hernandez, Daniel Bergamini, Chris Osburn, Salty Sam, and so many more.

If we didn’t name you, it’s because we have small brains.

But I will say anyone that has supported us, we feel your love. And there are many other venues coming.

Website: www.DadeCountyComedy.com

Instagram: @DadeCountyComedy

Twitter: @DadeComedy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DadeCountyComedy

Other: Podcast coming soon!

Image Credits
Angles by Alex @AnglesbyAlex1 Photographer: Alex Hernandez
Raven Neal @bindphotography