Andrew Stanley Follows His Calling

Originally Published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

He chose punchlines over a pulpit, but faith has everything to do with Andrew Stanley’s comedy career.

“When I was growing up, I was always asked if I’d be a pastor,” said Andrew, 30. “I never received any pressure from my dad or granddad to do it. They always told me I shouldn’t do it if I didn’t feel called. Turns out, I felt called to be a comedian.”

Andrew is the son of Andy Stanley, the founder and lead pastor of North Point Ministries, and the grandson of Charles Stanley, the renowned Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and founder of In Touch Ministries, who died on April 18 at age 90.

Andrew studied finance at Auburn University and worked as a budget analyst for a big company in Atlanta right out of college. He enjoyed the job but struggled to get excited about what lay ahead.

“My friends tell me I’m funny, I think I’m funny, so I began to wonder if I could turn that into a job,” said Andrew. “I thought back to watching ‘The Office’ as a kid and thinking the writers for that show had the best job in the world. I talked with my dad and told him I’d love to do comedy. He was surprised because I’d never shown any interest in public speaking, but he thought it was good that I was getting out of my comfort zone.”

Andrew’s dad suggested he meet with family friend and famous comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Andrew followed the advice and Foxworthy connected him to comedy writer Scott Dunn.

Dunn said he’d help Andrew but wanted him to take an action step first. He gave him two options: either make a funny video and put it on YouTube or write five minutes’ worth of jokes and perform them at a stand-up comedy open mic. Andrew chose the latter.

He took the stage for the first time in the summer of 2016 at Laughing Skull, a comedy club in Midtown Atlanta. He was far down the line up, maybe 17th, and said he must have blacked out, because he can barely remember the experience. His roommates attended and recorded his performance. Andrew reviewed the video afterward and thought his jokes could be funnier if not for his nerves. From there, he could be found at open mics every few weeks, adjusting to the spotlight and fine tuning his jokes. He’d send the recordings to Dunn, who helped him structure his set and time his punchlines.

Andrew is inspired by comedian Nate Bargatze and aligns his style with his. Like Bargatze, Andrew’s comedy is clean and not overly animated.

“Though I love comedians who can be loud and run around, I don’t feel like that’s something I can do,” said Andrew. “When I saw Nate stand still and tell jokes in his unique way, I felt more confident in what I could do, that I didn’t have to be over-the-top to be successful.”

Two years after that first open-mic, Andrew had gained momentum and was ready to take a leap of faith.

“I didn’t foresee becoming a full-time comedian, in fact, I’d recently received a promotion to a different department at work, but I was running out of vacation days, using them all up for shows, then flying back to rush to my cubicle the next morning,” said Andrew. “I didn’t want to say no to any of the opportunities coming my way. Ana, my then girlfriend who is now my wife, told me I should go for it, and my parents were encouraging. They said it’s going so well, and you love it, why not take a chance. Honestly, if I had worse parents, I’d be a better comedian. They’re almost overly supportive.”

Andrew quit his corporate gig in October 2018. He was booked through March, he said, so he knew he wouldn’t starve for at least six months. He prayed about it, worked hard, and hoped his calendar would continue to fill up.

Andrew has been a full-time comedian for more than four years now. He has weathered the highs, from crowded rooms, roaring with laughter, to an audience of just two people (which, he said, was actually very fun), and an audience that barely chuckled once.

Last year Andrew had 210 stage appearances. He travels nationwide and performs all over, from comedy clubs to corporate events. Years ago, he even performed at his grandfather’s company Christmas party.

“It was so scary,” said Andrew. “I was nervous because I wasn’t sure if Gramps would like it. He sat right in front and smiled and laughed the entire time, thank goodness. Afterward we went up to his office to talk and I asked him what he thought.”

Andrew deepens his voice and changes his cadence to resemble his grandfather’s well-known voice.

“Gramps said I was relieved you were clean,” said Andrew with a laugh. “I asked him if he thought I’d ever come to his party and tell dirty jokes. It was hilarious.”

Andrew’s grandfather, like his parents, was supportive and proud of Andrew’s decision to pursue comedy.

“My dad and grandad both took huge risks with tremendous faith in their careers,” said Andrew. “When they saw me doing my version of that, they’d say yes, that’s how it should be. If you feel this is what God is telling you to do, you’d be wrong not to do it.”

Growing up in a family of communicators was a huge advantage, Andrew said.

“For anyone who wants to be a communicator in any capacity, being in church is profoundly helpful,” said Andrew. “I was watching someone stand on stage and talk for 30 minutes to an hour every week, sometimes three times in one day. Subconscious or not, it helped me.”

Going forward, Andrew plans to continue getting on stage as often as he can.

“Comedy requires constant trial and feedback,” said Andrew. “Sometimes you try a joke 15 times, then shelve it. The stage is my office now and, while my marriage is my number one priority, the stage is number two. In stand-up, if you get fans, you win. When you have fans, you can do stand-up or pivot to something else. My goal is to do what I love and build a following of people who enjoy it. There is nothing more fun than saying something you think is funny and having a room full of people agree.”

Andrew adds that sharing jokes is much easier than sharing sermons.

“I can try my jokes 100 times, whereas a pastor gets one shot, unless they have a third service, which is usually the funniest.”