How 7 Long Island comedians juggle day jobs and stand-up sets

Uniondale resident Sean Brown just caught a break after nine years working his way up the ranks at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown. The 35 year-old stand-up comic got booked as the opening act for Instagram sensation Little Mo Mozzarella (Mark Brucato).

"An opportunity like this is super rare. I don’t even have representation with an agent," said Brown, who got the spot through a mutual friend. "Before this gig, I was doing 10 to 12 gigs a month. Now I’m doing 25 minutes on stage each night for about six gigs a week."

As funny and charismatic as Brown is, he’s not doing comedy full-time, at least not yet. He is part of a group of hardworking Long Islanders who do stand-up in addition to holding down a full-time job. Brown works as a remote corporate trainer for a financial technology company called DailyPay. He hosts Zoom webinars for managers and HR teams on how to use the app, which allows employees to get a portion of their pay every day they work instead of waiting to receive a check every two weeks.

"Comedy is a great supplemental income. It makes up about 20% of my intake," says Brown, who gets $200 a show and has all his other expenses paid. "But my main job covers my bills and health benefits."

Juggling work can get difficult for Brown who holds virtual meetings in his hotel room during the day and goes on stage at night. His company is pretty flexible and allows him to manage his own schedule.

"I’m able to block out dates when I need to travel. But I’ve had some very close calls where there was an important meeting I had to take," Brown said. "Once I was doing a gig at the Comedy Connection in Rhode Island and I had to hold a meeting at a Starbucks next door in order to catch the Wi-Fi. Then I went running into the club and hit the stage in five minutes. Sometimes you have to get creative."

Big man, big laughs

Brown is not the only Long Islander who does comedy as a side hustle. Jay Christopher, of Seaford, who goes by the moniker "Fat Jay" due to his husky frame, does the same. The crowd at Governor’s instantly connects with his brand of self-deprecating humor.

"I talk about the plight of the fat guy," he says. "I make fun of myself and give everybody a glimpse of what it’s like to be a fat guy in my world. It’s not easy."

Christopher, 49, is riding a wave of popularity on Instagram [@fatjaysworld] rocking 9,642 followers and counting. In addition to his stand-up, he posts humorous video clips, many of which have gone viral.

"I’m not an influencer," Christopher says. "I’m just an idiot trying to make funny skits during my lunch hour."

While he’s cooking up his comedy career on the back burner, Christopher works two jobs. He’s the Vice President of Operations at LendCap Solutions in Westbury, an Small Business Association and commercial mortgage lender from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Then from 6:30-9:30 p.m. he’s a brand ambassador for a cannabis company called Canagenix.

"My jobs involve networking, building relationships and doing sales. Being funny helps because I can make people feel comfortable," Christopher says. "Comedy doesn’t pay the bills unfortunately. I can’t quit my jobs, but that’s what I’m working toward."

Ladies of laughter

Rosie Fiumara, of Lido Beach, has a strong stage presence, instantly taking control of the mic.

"Aging is not easy. But that doesn’t stop me. I still go to all my concerts," Fiumara, 49, tells a crowd at The Brokerage in Bellmore. "But everybody is so old at these shows. I guess I’m just the cool one. I bring what my friends need ... the drugs. A little weed, some Molly ... Lipitor."

Fiumara is the co-owner of Bridal Reflections, a 53 year-old family business with locations in Massapequa, Carle Place and Manhattan. Comedy is a hobby she picked up after her divorce.

"I always regretted not trying out for stuff growing up," Fiumara says. "Stand-up is something that I really wanted to do. This was a bucket list item for me."

Two years ago, she took a comedy class at The Brokerage on Tuesday nights. She killed on stage at her graduation show then continued to pursue the art form.

"Laughter is how I decompress after a long day at work," Fiumara says. "I’ve had to give up TV. That freed up time to write material and do open mics."

Fellow female comedian Laura Patton, 58, of South Hempstead also has a booming career as a tax accountant. She lives with her husband of 27 years, two 20-something sons and an 83-year-old mother, but in the evenings, she sneaks away to do sets at Governor’s, The Brokerage or even a private party.

"My style of comedy resonates with Long Island crowds," she says. "I complain about my kids and my husband, plus I make jokes about my mom. It’s very relatable because most of the people in the audience are between 40-60 years old."

Although comedy only makes up 10% of her income, Patton feels optimistic about opportunities arising.

"I believe there’s a sitcom in my future," Patton says. "I think I’ll be doing this for a long time."

Comedy bros

Both Joe Crovella, 25, of Baldwin, and Luke Picchioni, 29, of Rockville Centre, still live at home with their parents and are out on the dating scene, which all makes for great comedy material.

"I broke up with this crazy girl because she wanted to have a kid. Guys ... I still live at home and go to the pediatrician, OK?" Crovella tells a recent crowd at Governor’s. "Imagine that scenario. My kid would come home from school one day and say, ‘Can my friend sleep over?’ I say, ‘Ask Grandma and Grandpa, it’s their house.’ "

At the same show, Picchioni says, "Once a month I get a love letter from my girlfriend and they always start the same way. ‘You have a restraining order from the State of New York.' "

Crovella and Picchioni are also nine-to-fivers. At Chase Bank in North Bellmore, Crovella serves as an associate banker helping people open accounts and get credit cards. Meanwhile Picchioni works for his brother’s company Complete Recovery Restoration in Baldwin, which cleans up sites after a fire or flood.

"I felt the need to try comedy because I was always the funniest guy at work and in school," Crovella says. "After my first time on stage at Blue Goose in Patchogue, I knew this is what I wanted to do."

Picchioni adds, "The first year or two is just survival. But the goal is to keep progressing and get better little-by-little."

Local boy makes good

Massapequa resident Tom Kelly has made a career in comedy in a variety of ways. He served as an intern at "Late Night With Conan O’Brien" and as a writer’s assistant for "The Rosie O’Donnell Show." Currently, he works as a warmup comedian for TV shows ("The View," "Good Morning America," "The Masked Singer") as well as a morning show consultant for iHeart radio. However, many know Kelly for his Long Island-based humor on Instagram [@tomkellyshow] and his weekly podcast, "The Tom Kelly Show."

"I’m a celebrity from Route 110 to the Meadowbrook Parkway," he says. "I’ve always had a job in some form of entertainment or TV while chasing bigger dreams at night."

When he comes on stage at Governor’s, Kelly shouts out, "Where are my Massapequa people at?" A good portion of the crowd roars and he’s got ’em.

"You need to join your town’s Facebook group because you need to know what your town’s mom-to-Karen ratio is," Kelly says. "In Massapequa, it’s 60% good moms, 40% Karens. It’s fun to watch the good moms judge the Karens and the Karens be mean to the good moms."

Regardless of which comedian stands behind the microphone, they all share the same objective to drum up as much laughter as possible.

"It’s a high that you can’t describe. To me, it’s the greatest feeling in the world," Christopher says. "When you kill on stage, you just want to do it again because being able to put a smile on people’s face is the craziest thing ever."