Rookie Story...

Six-figures. That's all that repeated in my head for the entire night.. 

People work their entire lives and never make that much money in a year. I was 29 and walking away from it. 

The prior year, on a whim, I decided to try stand-up comedy at an open mic. Perhaps the years spent being a caricature of myself in order to rise in the corporate setting had taken a toll on me. After endless hours spent kissing up to clients and bosses, I felt a visceral need to share my thoughts in the most unfiltered manner possible. And making people laugh in the process, was an added blessing. 

That first performance went well, and for most people, would have been enough. But I continued, performing over 300 sets in the next year. Yearly projection reports, team meetings, and sales presentations took a backseat to amateur nights and bar stages. It became a thought that consumed me; this is what I'm suppose to do with my life.

So for an entire night, I practiced. I practiced telling my boss that I would be giving him my two-weeks notice. I practiced explaining that I found something that I needed to pursue, and that it was worth walking away from, what most people view as, success. 

I resigned. It's still my favorite performance to date. Now I hope to rock enough stages to make that gamble worth it… 

This, was my Rookie Season. 

- G. Almonte

*Noah Caine's Rookie Season releases on July 22nd.

Pre-Order today on iTunes: http://bit.ly/Rookieseason