CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Steve Hofstetter, a professional comedian for 21 years, has traveled the world telling jokes and developing an online comedy presence on his YouTube Channel, Facebook, Twitter, and television.
Article by Ron Wilshire
Asked about the memorable venues he has played, the Sydney Opera House in Australia ranks among the top; however, Hofstetter plans a memorable night of comedy on May 18 in Clarion at the Haskell House on Main Street.
Buy tickets at https://www.stevehofstetter.com/calendar.cf.
Although his home base is Pittsburgh, his reputation is worldwide. He has recorded over 200 million views on YouTube and 700,000 subscribers, over a billion views on Facebook, and 800,000 followers.
“The great thing about content these days is that digital has no walls,” Hofstetter told exploreClarion.com. “When you are on TV in America, that doesn’t mean anyone else knows who you are, but when your content is viral and digital, you can play anywhere in the world.”
This will be Steve’s second appearance in Clarion.
“I did a show at Clarion University back probably 15 years ago. Fifteen years and 3000 shows later, I’m returning,” Hofstetter commented.
He entered the world of stand-up comedians “as something that could pass the time while I looked for a job in print journalism. As it turned out, I loved it. I like to say that doing comedy was like being thrown into the ocean and finding out I was a fish.”
Hofstetter stated that anyone who starts doing stand-up has to learn it.
“The good thing is that I already had practice and training in writing, which is a large part of the battle. The main difference between print and live is that in print, you want someone to have to go back and read it, but when you’re doing a live show, you don’t have that luxury. They have to understand it in the moment.”
Hofstetter said his typical audience has less to do with age and is more about ideals.
Because of social media, if someone knows my stuff from TikTok, they’re probably teenagers or in their 20s. If someone knows my stuff from Facebook, they might be in their 60s or 70s. I am outspokenly progressive, and that is part of my crowd.”
Steve’s organization talked to exploreClarion.com about starting a comedy series.
“I’m helping them with the production, and if it works, expect to see more shows down the line.”
Steve Hofstetter’s childhood home was in Queens, New York, and he was later based in Los Angeles as a stand-up comedian before he moved to Pittsburgh. He remembers his dad spinning old comedy albums from the likes of George Carlin and Dick Gregory and wanted to continue that same type of family approach in Pittsburgh.
Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Steve has become a comedy and community dynamo. He created the Steel City Arts Foundation and purchased two former churches, which support local comedians and provide performance areas and production facilities for his many videos and recordings.
Hofstetter is sometimes called “the hardest-working comedian in the business,” and his accomplishments include the following:
- Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his charity work in the comedy community
- His book “Ginger Kid” was a top 5 pick on Amazon
- One of the stars of Lifetime’s “Handyman From Hell.” Also, in the Hallmark movie “Love Always, Santa,” Lifetime’s “Psycho Yoga Instructor,” “Psycho Storm Chaser,” and Adam Carolla’s “Road Hard.”
- Former EVP of Film & Television for the Laugh Factory
- Senior Comedy Correspondent for Fox Sports
- Former Host and Executive Producer of “Laughs” on Fox Networks
- Former segment producer for Fox’s “Dish Nation”
- TV includes CBS’ “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” hosting “Trial By Laughter” on Comcast, CNN’s “Campbell Brown,” the syndicated “Comics Unleashed,” E’s “True Hollywood Story,” Showtime’s “White Boyz in the Hood,” ESPN’s “Quite Frankly,” VH1’s “The Countdown,” CW’s “The Daily Buzz,” G4’s “Attack of the Show,” Sundance’s “On the Road in America,” ABC’s “Barbara Walters Special,” “Good Day NY,” “Good Day LA,” “Fox & Friends,” among others.
- His fifth album “Pick Your Battles,” reached #1 on iTunes’ comedy charts
- His third album, “Dark Side of the Room,” was first ever comedian Pay-What-You-Want
- Former weekly columnist for Sports Illustrated and the NHL
- Hosted “Four Quotas” on Sirius Satellite Radio for two years
- Hosted “The Sports Minute (Or So),” syndicated for four years on over 170 radio stations
- Collegehumor.com’s original columnist
More of Steve’s story is available at https://www.youtube.com/@stevehofstetter.
Steel City Arts Foundation: https://www.steelcityaf.com
