Preble grad Kristin Lytie: union organizer by day; comedian by night
GREEN BAY, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – Green Bay’s Kristin Lytie jokes that her day job as a union organizer doesn’t inspire spontaneous eruptions of joy. But she found a release in the form of comedy.
“For the past 15 years I’ve been a union organizer, and no one calls us because they are having a good day,” Lytie said. “It was kind of like figuring out, ‘How can I build joy and do this in a way that fulfills me and also makes people happy?’ I was living in Chicago. I went to an open mic. And thought, ‘Well! I can do that!”
Lytie performs her stand-up comedy routines three weekends a month throughout the Midwest. She’s performed in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and throughout the country. While she might be the life of the party now, she was never considered to be the “class clown” in school.
“I was very quiet,” said Lytie. And, honestly, I skipped school a lot.”
How it started:
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and Preble High School, Lytie discovered her love for performing after she moved to Chicago. She began hitting open mic nights with fellow comedians to hone her craft.
“And you know, you’re in those rooms where it’s just dead silent, and everyone is judging you with daggers in their eyes,” Lytie said. “And if you can just make them laugh – It’s like, ‘You did it!’”
Lytie says it didn’t take her long at all to know that this is what she wanted to be doing with her time and talents. As a matter of fact, her fate was sealed the very first time she took to the open mic stage.
“I got huge laughs! In a way that filled my soul and made me 100% addicted for the rest of my life!” Lytie said.
Her comedy might be given a “Not Safe For Work,” or NSFW tag as not being corporate clean, but Lytie says that doesn’t limit her audience.
“I would say I am more niche. I’m kind of a weirdo. I like to talk about Catholic school and getting sober – sometimes politics,” said Lytie. “Kind of all over. Just daily life experiences here in the Midwest.”
Roadblocks and obstacles shattered
She may have found laughs her first time behind the mic, but Lytie said her journey in comedy has not been all glitter and pomp. She overcame a few obstacles, including some sexism.
“There’s a lot of shows that are all male lineups,” said Lytie. “It’s harder as a woman, definitely. You have to be on 100% of the time. You can never fail because then it’s like, ‘All women aren’t funny because she wasn’t funny that one Tuesday night that we saw her.’ There’s a lot more judgment.”
Lytie moved back to the Green Bay area, where she would like to see more venues for comedy.
“That’s kind of what was exciting about moving home to Green Bay. I was leaving a huge art scene in Chicago, obviously. But I really wanted to build something here and something unique,” said Lytie. “I’m excited to be back home and doing that.”
Where to hear Kristin Lytie
Green Bay features two festivals this weekend where Lytie and her fellow comedians from “Burn This Records” will be performing. The GBUFO Invasion Festival and Green Bay Fringe Fest.
In November 2023, while Lytie was at the Altercation Comedy Fest in Austin, Texas she recorded her first comedy album called “Disassociation Vacation.” It is available through multiple streaming platforms and on vinyl. Additionally, Lytie hosts a podcast called “Bloody Mary” discussing horror movies and what they mean to us. Comedians, professors, musicians and more pick their all-time favorite horror movie to discuss.
Source: Preble grad Kristin Lytie: union organizer by day; comedian by night
