Samantha Ruddy is a stand up comic and writer in New York City. Known for her incisive and prolific joke writing, she is a staple of  respected clubs and the city’s hottest independent shows. A WICF alumna, she has also appeared at festivals like Bridgetown, New York Comedy, and SF Sketchfest. She headlined Caroline’s as part of their Breakout Artists Comedy Series and has contributed to Reductress, Someecards, and CollegeHumor. She currently co-produces Too Many Cooks every Wednesday at Lucky Jack’s in Manhattan. Samantha made time to answer some questions about tweeting jokes, performing in New York’s competitive scene, and owning your accomplishments.

WICF Daily: You’re so danged good at Twitter. How does publishing jokes online factor into your stand up process, if at all?

Samantha: Thank you! That is a really sweet way of saying I should go outside more. I try bits out on Twitter a lot. Some of the jokes I do on stage regularly I ran by twitter first. Some are too long. But most of my short jokes or non-visual ones have been tried out on Twitter first just to see if there’s anything there. Usually they grow from there but sometimes I keep them as is. I’ll go through phases where I try not to put jokes on Twitter and just bank material that’s only in my standup, but it’s usually too tempting not to try things online.

WICF: What are some of your favorite New York City clubs/rooms to perform in? 

Samantha: There’s so many good rooms in New York. Hot Soup at  Irish Exit is a favorite bar show of mine. The Stand was the first club that started giving me regular paid work in New York and I love performing there. Butterboy at Littlefield is a ton of fun, too. Oh and I’m biased but I host shows at Lucky Jack’s and The Creek and the Cave that I think are both wonderful. I could go on. I love so many clubs and bar shows here.

WICF: What advice would you give women pursuing comedy professionally?

Samantha: Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. A lot of people assume male comics are competent but expect female comics to prove that they are, so don’t feel weird bringing up your accomplishments. It’s not obnoxious. There’s a big difference between walking into a room and yelling “Comedy Central!” and politely listing your credits when you’re trying to get booked for something.

WICF: How can people keep up with your work / find you online?

Samantha: My Twitter is my big dumb baby. Follow me @samlymatters. That’s my handle for pretty much everything. Fortnite included.