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Comedy for inclusion
Public Allies Arizona alum Jesus Otamendi is applying skills and values reinforced through the program to build a more thriving and inclusive comedy scene for Arizona’s Latinx community.
Otamendi, whose dry delivery and off the wall sensibility has garnered attention in the Tucson comedy scene, has spent the last two years organizing and producing Chicano Power Comedy, a recurring comedy showcase that highlights Latinx comedians, poets and artists from across Arizona. The showcase has popped up at clubs throughout the state with past events held in Tucson, Phoenix and Bisbee, with its 19th showcase held at Tucson performance space The Rock in November.
“I just felt like it was kind of needed you know? In Tucson there weren’t a lot of spaces like that here. I would never see anything like Latino comedy or Chicano comedy or anything of that nature,” Otamendi said. “I just thought ‘If there is nothing like that our there why not be the one to do it?’”
The events have built up a steady following and feature a rotating cast of performers with Otamendi hosting the lively showcase.
“The take away from a lot of the comics is ‘Now there is a space for our community and our kind of cultural sense of humor,” said Otamendi, “We just have a lot of fun doing it with all the comics. It’s always a good time.”
Public Allies Arizona is an AmeriCorps program that matches nonprofit organizations with emerging leaders from a variety of backgrounds. Allies are placed in 10-month paid nonprofit internships, where they have access to professional and personal development opportunities.
From a practical standpoint, many of the skills Otamendi honed during his placement with Arizona State University’s Office of Community Health, Engagement and Resiliency during his Digital Media Outreach Specialist apprenticeship have helped him boost Chicano Power Comedy’s profile and connect with fans.
“I got a learning experience on how to be a team player. How to work in a group setting. All that kind of opened my horizons,” said Otamendi, “All the things I learned over there I take to the comedy… I bring the social media and marketing stuff into the comedy shows. I definitely do all that myself.”
Otamendi also credits the program with reinforcing the values that led him to take on a leadership role in fostering a more inclusive comedy community. Otamendi said he strives to create a more equitable environment that ensures that the bulk of proceeds go to paying the comics, and makes space for new comics who typically might not get mic time.
“Public Allies values diversity and inclusion and I definitely take those values with me and that’s what we incorporated into Chicano Power Comedy,” Otamendi said.
Otamendi has even extended opportunities to perform to other Arizona Public Allies. Katerina Guerrero, a second-year ally and part of the current Public Allies Arizona cohort, recently performed two original poems “Quiero Tenerte Cerca” and “Casa Amarillo” at a Chicano Power Comedy event.
Guerrero, who is serving with SARSEF, a Tucson nonprofit focused on engaging student populations underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), said the events foster connection among performers and the audience.
“It was a really fun night. It was a tight knit, community type of event. It felt really cool. Everyone having fun and laughing together… A lot of people could connect with what people were saying,” Guerrero said.
Otamendi has come a long way on his comedy journey since his inauspicious start seven years ago at a Tucson coffee shop open mic night.
“I always wanted to do comedy and I was like ‘I just got to jump in the pool’ and just go through all the steps to kind of push through that fear,” said Otamendi, “The first open mic … I went up for 10 seconds and then I bombed and then I didn’t do it for like a year after that, but after that I was like ‘Okay, I need to be persistent and I’ll get better eventually.’”
In addition to organizing and hosting Chicano Power Comedy, Otamendi performs regularly at comedy shows throughout the city and has entertained crowds across the southwest including Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. Otamendi hopes to continue producing shows locally with hopes of writing for television and making comedy a full-time job.
“Public Allies definitely helped me learn that if you have a vision for something and you want to pursue it you can make it happen, ”Otamendi said.
Image: Jesus Otamendi performing during a stand-up comedy show
Learn more about Public Allies Arizona
Public Allies Arizona is changing the face and practice of leadership throughout Arizona communities by demonstrating our conviction that everyone can lead, and that lasting change results when citizens of all backgrounds step up, take responsibility and work together.
It is a 10-month AmeriCorps program that places emerging leaders in full-time, paid nonprofit internships with partner organizations in the community. Allies come from many backgrounds and do not need to attend ASU. Our mission is to create a just and equitable society and the diverse leadership to sustain it.