Comic promises good show for Rotary benefit

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January 28, 2010

By Cara Spilsbury

Comedian Juston McKinney has a busy day planned on Friday, Feb. 12. At 6 that morning, his wife is scheduled to give birth to their second child. At 9 that night, he will be in Haverhill headlining the Rotary Club's Comedy Night fundraiser at Michael's Function Hall.

Don't worry about his wife, McKinney says. She's used to his strange schedule.

McKinney, a resident of Newmarket, N.H., has headlined across the country and performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Next Generation," and most recently, "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien." He has also taped two specials for Comedy Central.

Aside from an ex-girlfriend from high school who lived in Haverhill, McKinney doesn't have any ties to the Queen Slipper City. But he is thrilled to help an organization from a local community raise money for charity.

"I love doing charitable fundraisers," he said. "It feels good."

McKinney promised that, even though it may not be a sold-out theater or a prestigious comedy club, his performance at the Rotary event will be no different.

"I always try to make sure the crowd enjoys themselves," he said. "I always want to give people a good night out. Maybe they've paid a sitter and this is their only big night out in a while. I always try to keep the crowd in mind and I always try to give them the best show."

McKinney's road to a career in comedy is unique. He had worked for several years as a police officer in Maine, but decided one night that he would give an open mic comedy night in Boston a try.

He left the force in 1997 to pursue comedy full-time. He first moved to Boston, then tried New York. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and his career started to pick up. He moved back to New England in 2006.

A career in comedy has proven to be a challenge for McKinney, but after 15 years in the business, he has reaped the rewards.

There are some down sides to his job choice. McKinney wishes he could be at home with his family more. But he still encourages anyone curious about comedy to give it a try.

"You have to like to travel and not like a lot of money at first," he joked. "The first few years are rough. The work never ends. But if it's something you'd like to try, just try it. If it's something you want to make a living at, it's a very long road, but get up and give it a try."