By Steven Alford
Funnyman Greg Schwem is headed to Savannah, bringing his unique brand of “dad” humor as he explores the city to film for a TV show.
Schwem is known on the corporate circuit for his white-collar and family jokes, earning him the title of “Your Boss’ Favorite Comedian” from the Huffington Post. He’ll be headlining Saturday for the Savannah Comedy Revue at Bay Street Theatre downtown.
But when he’s not crisscrossing the country performing at high-profile events, he devotes time to his online series, “A Comedian Crashes Your Pad.”
In the show, Schwem will book a night at a person’s home in the next town where he will be performing, becoming part of the family as he explores what makes their city special with his hosts.
The online series is a part travel show, part comedy show, and was recently acquired by an LA-based marketing and distribution company. Now Schwem’s offbeat and uplifting humor can be streamed on Roku, and soon on Apple TV, he noted.
A former newspaper and TV reporter, Schwem is at home in front of a camera, sharing his insights as a father himself, albeit one who travels the country and steps on stage each night.
Though he followed comedy early in life, he set it aside to pursue a successful career in journalism before picking it back up again a few years ago.
“I always loved making people laugh, from a very young age. I wasn’t the class clown; I was the class smart ass,” Schwem shared.
“The smart ass gets the teacher to laugh and therefore never gets in trouble.”
As a comedian, he has performed in just about every state, from comedy clubs, to trade shows and corporate events.
“Eventually I decided I liked making people laugh more than depressing them so I quit my job as a TV reporter to pursue comedy full time,” Schwem said.
“I did clubs for about seven years but transitioned into the corporate market after that and that’s what I’ve been doing since.”
Through it all, he still finds time to make it home on the weekends to be there for his kids’ sporting events.
Schwem’s brand of clean and family-friendly humor has opened many doors for him the past few years, appealing to a wide audience. But like most entertainers, he saw challenges over the past year during the COVID-19 outbreak. So, he had to find new ways to reach audiences.
“For me, doing virtual shows and hearing people laugh from all over, shows me how important it is to share a laugh,” he added.
As things start to return to some semblance of normal, and many comedy clubs and events host more shows, Schwem is excited to do more traveling for his show. He’ll be exploring Savannah during his stay to perform at the Bay Street Theatre, hoping to catch some unique and eclectic aspects of the Hostess City on tape.
For someone who has stuck with the business through highs and lows, he says he is excited about what lies ahead as his side-splitting show is picked up for wider distribution. But what matters most is making people smile.
“The last year has been extremely tough,” Schwem added. “We are all trying to make people laugh.”
Check out Greg Schwem’s show online at www.acomediancrashesyourpad.com.
First published in the Savannah Morning News