TAMPA, Fla. — Breaking into stand-up comedy is difficult. Making a career out of it is even harder.
Two comedians with ties to the Tampa Bay area are finding success on stage while returning to the places where their comedy careers first took shape.
WATCH: Tampa Bay ties helping two comedians build careers in stand-up
Jessica Michelle Singleton first tried stand-up comedy during her senior year at the University of South Florida.
“I had spent all of college…well, this is a backup plan. I’m going to be a comedian,” Singleton said.
She performed at an open mic night st at Side Splitters Comedy Club in Tampa without realizing it was a comedy contest, and she advanced to the semifinals.
“And I was like, this is it. I’m going to make it,” Singleton said. “The semi-finals were here on the big stage. I bombed so hard.”
Dana Teller grew up in Lecanto in Citrus County, where she said observing everyday life helped shape her comedic perspective.
“I feel like that’s what comedians are,” Teller said. “Just kind of take in everything around us.”
Teller graduated from Florida State University and worked as an accountant before deciding a few years ago to pursue stand-up comedy.
When she performed in Tampa, Teller said many people from Citrus County traveled to see her.
“I’m just so touched and proud to be from somewhere where everyone wants to support each other,” Teller said. “They are all just cheering me on.”
Teller is also the sister of actor Miles Teller, who was honored in December when Lecanto High School named its theater after him.
Miles Teller has starred in films including Top Gun: Maverick, Whiplash and Michael.
“I’m my brother’s biggest fan,” Dana Teller said. “We were each other's first audience and first co-stars. It was really cool to go to Citrus County and have them dedicate the theater after him. It was a really special day.”
Now both comedians are returning to Side Splitters for a show Sunday night, where they expect many familiar faces in the audience.
“A lot of the crowd is people I went to college with,” Singleton said, “so they know that the stories are not lies.”
For more info on Sunday's performance, click here.
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