Meet Kimbles Hume | Stand Up Comedian, Producer, Owner of Kimbles ‘n Bits Comedy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimbles Hume and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimbles, how do you think about risk?
I’ve never been afraid to jump in with 2 feet and honestly on occasions act on a whim or gut feel. When I was working as a marketing manager in London aged 28 I was having my annual review with my boss and out of nowhere I told them I wanted to be transferred to the states (I worked for an International publishing company). Honestly I surprised myself with the statement, transfers are usually reserved for much more senior employees, not to mention I’d never even been to the states, never had any intention 0f moving or working abroad, I owned a little 2 bed flat, had a boyfriend, friends and family and was generally very happy where I was, but my gut spoke and I just went with it! Fast forward 3 months and I was moving to San Diego for a new job. It was fantastic but not the right fit for me, so 6 months later I jumped at the chance when another opportunity opened up for me in Los Angeles. I’m not someone that second guesses things much, I follow my heart and my head and luckily they usually seem to be aligned! I’ve always had the attitude of whats the worst that could happen? Sure a job or decision might be the wrong one but you’ll figure it out and fix it down the line, life’s too short for procrastination, and who knows where that decision will take you and what you’ll learn along the way. After my husband and I had twins I left the corporate world and left Los Angeles, I was craving a little down time for a while which I was lucky enough to enjoy, but after a few years I felt my creative side raring to go and writing and stand up comedy were an itch I needed to scratch! I think Im at my best when I’m trying something new and Im scared and nervous and comedy hit all these for me. One day an audience member connected with me after a show, said she loved my comedy and would I be interested in producing a show at a venue she worked at. I’d never wanted to produce, and owning my own business wasn’t on my wishlist, but I said yes because, why not?! It was an opportunity given to me that I thought was worth a try. Fast forward one year and I have my own production company that has produced over 30 shows in 5 venues across Southern California and I have 3 new venues starting in 2022, one of which includes an expansion to the East Coast. Ultimately, I choose my opportunities and do my risk assessments based on whether or not it’ll take me somewhere in the vague direction I want to go. If it does and I decide Im down for the ride, then off I go, that makes me feel like i’m living and that makes me happy.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What sets me apart from others? In terms of my comedy of course there are the obvious things; Im older, I’m a mum, I’m British which is unusual here in San Diego, but none of that is enough to truly set me apart, it has to come down to the art. When I first started comedy I thought about this a lot, I would get in my head about whether my ‘voice’ or ‘point of view’ was strong enough, for what its worth I still don’t think that stylistically it is, but I’ve got time to grow and thats honestly what its all about! I’ve also come to realize that for me, I think it’s a balancing act, I’m personally not trying to be the quirkiest, craziest or edgiest comic (although I love and admire the ones that are). I’m seeking to be relatable, I guess im trying to stand out by fitting in.

In terms of what sets my business apart from others, I think it’s my experience and hopefully the way I conduct myself professionally. I spent 10+ years managing events, talent, venues, contracts and marketing in London and Los Angeles and a significant amount of it is transferable, though Ive gone from having a large team around me to doing everything as a one man band which is a hard transition. My strategy is to do lots of what im good at, and do the bare minimum where im weak. Some would disagree with that but i find it the best use of my time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Brewery tour in north county, wine tasting in Temecula, pub crawl in PB, late night rooftop cocktails downtown.

See live music at the shell, catch a Padres game, visit any San Diego dog beach, or go sailing on the bay

OR, actually, first and foremost, before anything, go see some stand up comedy! Kimbles ‘n Bits Comedy shows take place at San Diego Mission Bay Resort, L’Auberge, Kona Kai, Belly Up, or check out a show at any one of our amazing San Diego comedy venues including American Comedy Company, Madhouse, Laugh Factory, Candys, Grand, Finest City Improv, Mic Drop, (coming soon), or countless independent shows such as mine run all over the county (Kash Komedy, PB Backyard, The Quartyard, WWC Comedy, Hairlarious, Everloving, Riff City, Comedy Heights), and theres loads more im probably missing!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The comedy community is a special one. Sure the first time I showed up to an open mic was daunting, as was the 20th time, and honestly it still is, but in San Diego we are lucky to have what I believe is one of the strongest and most supportive comedy communities out there. For me, Im conscious that im different to the majority of comedians on the circuit (there’s not a lot of suburban, married, mums out on the grind) but honestly we’re all unique and quirky in our own way, and whilst comedy is subjective and we may not be into each others styles, there’s still this underlying mutual respect across the board for anyone that steps on the stage. You’llm always hear ‘I admire the hustle’ and that’s what its all about. Baring your soul on stage whilst simultaneously trying to make people laugh is one of the most challenging and arguably one of the craziest things you’ll ever do, but nonetheless its a weird obsession that we as comedians all share.

Website: https://linktr.ee/KimblesHume

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimbleshume/