Photo Credit: Paul Mobley
When YouTube launched in February 2005, it created an outlet for a fresh generation of raw comedic talent to emerge. A whole DIY sketch comedy movement sprang up and launched careers that have translated to more traditional acting roles and millions of dollars in sponsorships and advertising revenue. From there, platforms like Twitter and their six-second video app, Vine, became some of the most engaging spaces for young comedians to try new and interesting things.
As Facebook began to prioritize video in their newsfeed, there became an opportunity for users of that service to also capitalize on the fame associated with growing follower counts and video views. Wayne Colley, who goes by Kountry Wayne, a nod to his hometown of Millen, Ga. and southern drawl, has turned his millions of online followers into multiple sellout shows at venues across the nation.
Wayne always wanted to be an entertainer, but what form of entertainment he pursued was not always the same. He used to be an aspiring rapper, but after three years and not much progress, he switched to comedy. “As soon as I started doing comedy I started getting fans instantly,” he says. “I was doing music for three years and I was still just a local joker.”
His first video to go viral was in October 2014. The 27-second video is titled “When You Have to Fake Like You Like Your Girlfriend’s Cooking,” and uses a style prevalent in many of his older videos. With the camera placed in a close-up on Wayne’s face, a voice off camera speaks, and Wayne’s over the top facial expressions do most of the heavy comedic lifting. He gained 2,000 followers from that one video. Seven months and numerous videos later, he had 1 million.
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Other notable Kountry Wayne videos have titles such as “When Your Ex Girlfriend Don’t Look Like She Used To,” “When You Worried About Your Taxes” and “When Your Team Wasn’t In the Super Bowl So You Didn’t Care Who Won.” These relatable subjects are also the basis for Wayne’s new career in standup comedy.
“It’s common sense comedy,” Wayne says when describing his style. “I just joke about the struggle. I’m talking about everything that the average person thinks about on a daily basis.”
The results of this approach have been successful. Though Wayne only began doing standup three years ago, he is already selling out clubs and theaters across the nation, skipping the back breaking open mic nights and other unpaid gigs that most comedians endure. This, of course, is because of the audience he built through social media videos. “I’m going viral again like I did on Facebook, but this time I’m going viral out here kissing babies and shaking hands,” he says.
Wayne is still posting videos to his Facebook and Instagram pages on a weekly basis. He also has aspirations of taking his knack for hilarious skits to television or film. But what Wayne is most focused on right now is what is right in front of him: His standup.
“I love standup. Standup is challenging,” he says. “I love the skits also. I love to do them, and they were my first love, but right now I’m in love with standup. When I get on stage I feel like no one in the world can make those people laugh like I can make them laugh.”
Kountry Wayne will perform at the Potawatomi Northern Lights Theater on Saturday, March 24. You can purchase tickets here.
