Anyone who has been involved in the Bay Area indie rock scene over the past decade probably knows George Chen. He’s booked countless shows, played in tons of bands, and released dozens of records on his Zum imprint.

Last year, Chen turned his gaze to comedy. He began performing standup, started a multimedia comedy show called Talkies, and a standup series at Lost Weekend’s Cinecave that morphed into a weekly event.

Chen recently interviewed six up-and-coming comics from around the Bay Area for The Bold Italic, covering topics such as day jobs, stage fright, and the Bay Area standup scene:

What’s it like to be a Bay Area comic?     

I think you have a little more leniency. The audiences are very smart and they can be challenging, but they get it. I think of SF as a breeding ground for comedy; it’s a place where you can get good.

Read the entire article and watch videos of the performers at The Bold Italic.