Laughfest Comedy Kickoff wasn’t a large venue, but it was full of artists trying to make it big.

The little show, hosted by Burning Coal Theatre Company Saturday, showcased seven Raleigh comedians and a singer, all of whom are working on building their presence in the city.

“[Making a career out of comedy] is difficult and it’s up and down,” Joe Perrow, who started performing 11 months ago, said. “You might have a great show one night and then not have a good night the next night. You just got to try to even it out.”

However, Perrow said Raleigh was a good place to get started, as there are a lot of open microphones and a supportive community, and he said he’s been able to perform about four nights a week.

The comedians at the kickoff began performing for different reasons, but stayed for a love of the genre.

For example, the host of the event, who introduced each of the comedians and told some jokes himself, was Karim Bishop Jarrett, known on stage as Bishop Omega.

Jarrett got into comedy because he used to rap, host open mic-nights and introduce other artists. In order to do this, he said, he had to be entertaining and funny. Jarrett said he found it easy to transition into comedy shows, which he loved from day one. He therefore switched art forms, but kept his stage name to make sure he kept his audience.

“You can be a 50-year-old comedian, but you cannot be a 50-year old comedy source,” he said. 

Hardly Worthington, a performer who goes by Hardly Strange, started performing in 2012, but said he has wanted to his whole life.

“When I was 13 or 14, I told my parents ‘Hey, I want to be a comedian!’ and they told me to get out of their room, and so that was the end of that,” he said, laughing. “I didn’t circle back around until I was already too old, which is right now.”

Josephine Mwamba, who goes by Jos*E on stage, also said she was born funny and has been performing since 2009.

“It makes people feel good, it makes me feel good and I enjoy doing it,” she said.

She said she really started to invest her time in comedy about three years ago, however.

“I suffered a loss,” Mwamba said. “My mom died in 2011, and so I had to find something to keep the happy going.”

Mwamba said she has been working on expanding her fan base by posting clips to Youtube – for instance, she’s currently working on her filmed autobiography, “I am Famous.” In her videos and shows, she usually partners with Rob Wright, a singer, rapper, promoter and producer who has been a comedian for about three years now.

The comedians had a wide array of subject matter to pull from. Mwamba said her dating life was her favorite joke, while Wright loved anything dealing with his family, and most of the comedians said they most often pulled from daily life. 

“If you get some laughs, you just stick with it. But the majority of [the jokes] come from life experiences,” Mwamba said.

“Or other people’s life experiences,” Wright added. 

When asked where she hoped to go with her comedy, Mwamba said, on stage.

The idea that the performers were telling jokes for personal enjoyment seemed to be the general consensus.

“For me, whether it becomes an ongoing career or not, either way I just want to have fun,” Wright said. “I’m okay if I never become an A-list comedian. I can survive with a B.”

However, Perrow said he was there to make it big.

“Honestly, I hope to be a nationally-known, touring comic, and to go beyond that, to be well-known, respected for my jokes, to be someone that people look to and they are like, yes it’s funny but he’s talking about something that matters, it’s not just sex jokes and fart jokes,” Perrow said.

Worthington said he was also planning on making it big, but his plan was to do it by “mostly riding on other people’s coattails.” 

“I’m going to make sure I stay friends with Joe and Jos*E and Rob, and if they ever blow up then I’ll be like ‘Hey guys, remember me?’” he said. “Someone at this show is definitely going to be famous someday.”