Cornfed Comedy
An archive of stories from a comedy-lover's former blog, capturing the comedians and lives bringing a stand-up comedy culture to the Midwest.
Hersh Rephun was introduced to me and Cornfed Comedy a few years into the blog gaining steam. He moved to Iowa (his wife's origins) with their five children and decided to throw himself into the Iowa City comedy ring. These days, Hersh is an entertainment manager and agent, but still performing comedy and his one-man Tiny Ukranian Poet gig on the side. In this story, he shares all the things that he was working on. Originally published: November 2, 2014
Cornfed Comedy: You've got quite a backstory of comedy - Caroline's, The Comedy Store, and you recently released a music comedy show in Hollywood. Now you've got a TV series - Tiny Ukrainain Poet Caught on Camera. What can you tell me about your current projects?
HR: The two primary pursuits right now are standup and the The Tiny Ukranian Poet Caught on Camera (TUPCOC) show. I tend to create in layers, so when (co-creator) Stu Wilson and I set about crafting TUPCOC, we designed a comedic talk show that evolved into a sitcom/talk show hybrid, which now has a live stage show/touring component. And that, of course, led to our recording an album of the spoken word/music pieces created for my Tiny Sirko character. CFC: You're a comedian and clearly, an actor (and dare I say, aspiring poet?). How do you balance the roles? HR: For a long time, I felt like I had a split personality. I'd started as a standup in my 20s, then got into advertising and marketing. I was good at that, but felt like a comedian acting like a PR guy! So four years ago, I decided to just be Hersh and let it all fall where it may. There's no question that for Stu and I, our background in branding helps the show and my comedy. It all balances out. CFC: You've taken up in Iowa for a little while (you said your wife was from the area, correct?) so what are your plans while you're here? HR: We've got quite a growing little comedy scene in the Corridor! Yes, my wife's from Marshalltown and I've enjoyed my time here over the years. So this year, given that I'm on the road quite a bit, shooting and performing in the Midwest and East Coast, it felt like a good idea to move our home base from L.A. to Iowa, where we have family. CFC: What other projects do you have coming down the pipeline? HR: Once the TUPCOC pilot is completed, we'll start pitching the series. Creatively, the live component will take center stage, so to speak. It's a one-hour show comprised of spoken word and music, called "Tiny's First Steps", and we're mounting a theatre tour, small theatres between Chicago and Las Vegas, ideally. CFC: Do you have any shows coming soon you'd like to pitch? I know you've done Catacombs of Comedy, which is a very popular comedy attraction. Do you have any other stops? HR: I just performed at Penguin's in Cedar Rapids, which was awesome. More shows will be announced soon, so I'd just tell people to follow me @HRkills for the latest info! And info about all the projects can always be found at www.HershRephun.com. CFC: It looks like you're also a dad AND comedian (something my blog has been covering a lot these days with some other local guys). How does fatherhood affect what you do? HR: What? I've only got, like, 5 kids. What's the big deal? Truth is, I've been a dad for longer than I've been a comedian, and it's influenced everything I do. My kids are amazing and brilliant and ambitious and inspire me and surprise me constantly. They've all been hugely helpful in terms of supporting and and being a sounding board for my comedy. My oldest son is a better standup than I am but focuses on writing, which he also does better than I. My younger son has a head for business, something I've never really had, combined with a profound decency. My oldest daughter is on her way to being a designer and has styled lots of shoots before even turning 18! Then there's the 7 yr old, who wants to be a singer. And the baby, well, she is a late bloomer; if she doesn't have her s*#% together by the time she's six months old, something will need to be done.
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