Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Provstgaard.
Ryan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In the summer of 2021, on my wife and my 6th anniversary, we went to ImprovBroadway’s Main Stage show in Provo. We loved it. In the end, they announced they do open mics every Monday night. I was intrigued by what that might mean. It turns out it was a stand-up comedy open mic when I assumed it might be improv. Being a people person, I always thought it would be fun to try, so a month later I did. Fast forward only a couple of months later and I met some of the closest friends I have today and discovered a hobby that was a part of this community I hadn’t known about before. The energy before the show starts, the excitement of being on stage, and the late-night hangouts at Slab or Don Chuy’s were some of the best nights I had in years. No matter how sad that might sound, it was nice to have that camaraderie.
Open mics are designed to be practiced for aspiring comedians, and it was fun to watch my friends get better and better. One of these close friends, Tanner Rahlf, had been doing it for years and even had a show that he produced. Being a videographer/photographer by trade, he asked about my rates to document one of his shows. All I could think of was, “People can just put on their shows?” I even voiced my bewilderment to others, to which my friend Quinn Johnson responded, “Yeah, you don’t need a club to tell jokes. Just funny people and a roof if it’s snowing.” After a couple of Tanner’s shows at ImprovBroadway, his show’s time there was ending, and he didn’t have another place to host it. This news bummed me out, and I vowed to find a new place to keep the meager paying photo gig alive. So, after a night of long company Christmas parties, I left early to wander Springville City, and my feet led me to Legends Motor Co. and its Container Compound.
The Compound is such a hidden gem that I had always wanted to check out but never had a reason to. A rustic outdoor plaza was all made out of shipping containers, but nothing seemed to be open. I walked in, checked out the place, saw their event space which at that exact moment was hosting a family reunion. Ignoring the awkward stares from the family I asked around for a manager, and once we found one the words just came out. “Hi, I’m Ryan, and I put on stand-up comedy shows throughout the valley, and I would love to put on a show here… The name of my comedy production, you say? Happy.. Valley. Yes, Happy Valley Comedy.” A name that I made up on the spot and was stuck with now despite how ridiculous and cliche it was. We were set up with a show later that month and nearly 50 people showed up. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but even today I’d slap a loved one for even 30 people to fill seats to hear local comedians tell jokes. But it was enough for Jenn, the Legends manager, to put her faith in us and she happily contracted Happy Valley Comedy for bi-weekly Thursday nights in their restaurant bar Senoritas 3rd Floor Cantina.
My experience was so limited that I didn’t realize how to promote our shows to get people to come or even how to book the talent for them. Or the fact that Springville was so far away from the nightlife scene to attract much attention. Or even that anyone would want to eat, drink, and be merry on a Thursday night. The list of my inexperience kept getting longer but over time it got shorter, and quicker than you’d think. Because with the newly formed Happy Valley Comedy I needed a partner, Dennis High, and we were forced to swim in the deep end of the pool thanks to the 80-plus seats that were consistently filling up. We were shocked. We knew we weren’t doing everything the right way, and yet people kept coming out. Fast forward one year to today, and we’re putting on shows almost twice every week. Sometimes double-booked. What we’ve learned is that people outside the nightlight want something to do, and thankfully for us comedy continues to be one of them. So, we have provided.
We work with amazing local comedians like Adam Broud and Cheyenne Jackson, who are extremely supportive. Even more well-known comics like Steve Soelberg and Rodney Norman, who we are honored to even be considered. Incredible venues like The Hive Collaborative and The Velour. We’ve even expanded from Utah County to Salt Lake and even Carbon County, in places like the Alliance Theater at Trolly Square and the Rio in Helper. I can’t say it’s been easy. We’ve had no-shows and cancellations. Even venues we swear 100% forgot we were coming. Venues in my hometown even! But through all the ups and downs, we don’t plan to stop there either, with shows soon to be announced in Bountiful and St. George.
Now that Happy Valley has partnered with Don’t Tell Comedy, a national comedy production in over 40 states and 90 cities across the country, the opportunities to get comedy to people who want it is incredible. We’re excited to be Don’t Tell’s representative for the entire state of Utah for the time being. But what I’m personally most excited about is the prospect of partnering with Utah newest nationally recognized stand-up comedy club. Boxcar Comedy Club in Springville, Utah – in that very same event space I walked into like a deer in the headlights looking for a manager in that very same compound at Legends Motor Co. I’m honored that club owner Brandon Henderson approached me earlier this year to partner with him and his goal in bringing comedy, even local comedians to the forefront of the scene. Boxcar Comedy Club will hold their Grand Opening August 16th 2023 and will be hosting one of my favorite comedians and one of the most well known comedians working today, Tom Segura. I know, kind of wild to think. Tickets are already sold out too so that is a lot of loved ones I owe a slap to. I am beyond excited to be a part of such a production within an industry I have always loved, and can’t wait to see what this does for my comedian friends and the community they helped us build.
It was always the goal to build up the comedy scene and make friends while doing so, watching them succeed and grow. It’s a very humbling experience to be a part of a community that has taken off to what it is today, all while being surrounded by friends and talented people. To have such a supportive wife in something that stresses me out more than anything has before but is more rewarding than everything, save for my own children’s happiness. I’m not sure what the future brings, but I’m excited to see how much more it will grow and to do so like we have always done, together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not an easy road at all. But a fun one. There have been shows where the venue did absolutely nothing to help.
No sound equipment, no chairs, no ad space even when we paid for it, and to top that all of it was wildly out of our way. And that isn’t the only time with all the same problems. Multiple times at multiple places. But the funny thing is how those are the stories that we remember and talk about the most. The failures outweigh the successes so why not find a way to laugh and grow from them? Hard to do it at the time but it passes, and when it does laughing about it makes it all the better when the next fail like that comes along.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have always been known for videography and video editing. It’s been my job for almost 18 years. So it’s pretty random that I put in my 2 weeks with nothing to fall back on except this Stand-Up Comedy production I randomly started. I’ve worked video with companies in the solar industry, the ad-buying world, and even the off-roading community. I am proud of the amazing people and their stories I have gotten to capture on camera in interviews. But when I started filming and photoing my friends on stage is when I realized I could do what I loved while with friends. Then I learned a whole new side of me I hadn’t explored or considered and here we are making people laugh at a comedy club in Utah County.
How do you define success?
Spending your time on what you love and knowing you’re good at it, but with people you enjoy being around. Apply that to work, family, and hobbies and I’ve learned that happiness will follow. And when I’m happy I consider myself successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ryanprovstgaard.post.pro/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyvalleycomedy/?next=%2F
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Happy-Valley-Comedy/100076648073267/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/90518409/admin/feed/posts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HVCLaughs
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHCHOlguTA_TzZMnSc5sOjw
- Other: https://boxcarcomedy.com/ & https://www.donttellcomedy.com/cities/
Image Credits
Adam Broud, Cheyenne Jackson, Tanner Rahlf, and Quinn Johnson
