Meet Shay Dominguez | Comedian

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

Hi Shay, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I wasn’t always pursuing an artistic career. Right out of high school, I went to college almost solely to play basketball while figuring out what I wanted to study. I eventually decided on marketing because I loved studying people’s behavior. After graduating with my Bachelor’s, I had the opportunity to get my graduate school paid for so I went straight into my Master’s program graduating with an MBA in Marketing and International Business. After a year out of school, I knew I didn’t want a career where I sat behind a desk Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and saving for my retirement – so instead, I had part time jobs at Starbucks and a local gym. While I was working at Starbucks, a co-worker introduced me to improv comedy in St. Louis, where I was living. Even though it was very vulnerable for me, my hands shaking every time I’d get on stage or in a scene, crying the first day (is it the July cancer in me?), I knew it was something I wanted to get better at. It took me back to being a kid watching Jim Carrey and Ellen Degeneres just being silly on TV and trying to do the same. It made me realize that I had gotten so removed from what I actually wanted to do since I was that little kid and that was make people laugh. Now, since starting improv comedy in 2015, I continue to pursue an artistic and creative career because I can’t see myself doing anything else. Almost every thought I have now is an idea as to how to make others laugh. And the freedom of expression and creativity is what truly gives me life! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

It’s hard to believe I’ve been practicing comedy for about eight years now. One of the things I’m most proud of with my art and my life is that I have explored so many different things over the years. I have a personal development podcast, I rap, sing and play guitar, I perform stand up comedy and improv, host a monthly late night show among other shows, write sketches and TV pilots, and continue to find new ways to have fun and express myself. I haven’t always thought of that as a strength, though. I used to think of myself as distracted and unable to stick with one thing. Now I’m in a space where I have started to see what I like most, but still have all of those skills in my tool belt, so to speak.

The journey thus far has not been easy, but I’m not sure if any of us have easy paths. I’m sure it’d be a much harder path doing something I don’t want to do. I think of a quote by Jim Carrey about his father getting laid off after working for many years at his job. “I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which is that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” One way to help through those challenges is just really reassuring and reminding myself that I love what I do.

One lesson I’d want the world to know about me and my story is that – bare with me, this is going to be cheesy – the only person who can hold you back is you. The only person who can move you forward is you. The creative journey can be extremely lonely. So many hours alone in front of a computer writing, editing, creating and then releasing your work to the world with unknown consequences, you truly have to believe in yourself and be your biggest fan.

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.

Ohhh fun! I’m not the best at planning trips, but I’ll try my best. First off, I would want to get into nature, so I’d take them to Piedmont Park, Arabia Mountains, Stone Mountain Park. And then after Piedmont Park, go grab some snacks from Trader Joes…have to. I’d take them all the way down The Beltline for sure. One of my favorite spots is Muchacho. I love the bougie-ness of Buckhead, so I’d take them to a few shops there and drive through some of those nice neighborhoods and check out the houses. We’d go to the High, to the movies, go see a comedy show at Dynamic El Dorado or Dad’s Garage in Old Fourth Ward, then walk down the street to Church, the bar! Then we’d go to bed! I know Atlanta has so much more to offer, but like I said, this isn’t my sweet spot!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to two groups of people. The first group is all of my supporters throughout the years. Those who watch and support my comedy and creations from afar and those who are near who are there for the rough times as well. And the other group is to all of the comedians and artists out there who have continued their artistic journey because they have encouraged me and created space for me to express myself. We never do this creative journey alone.

Website: www.shaydominguez.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaydjokes/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayelle-dominguez/

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shaydjokes

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shaydjokes

Image Credits
Brian Jones Photography: https://www.instagram.com/brianjonesphotography Lola Scott: https://www.instagram.com/lolascottart Erika Christie: https://www.instagram.com/erikacchristie