Travis Stealey – An Xperience Interview

By Chad Koenig.

I was excited to hear that the Saratoga Comedy Fest will be debuting this year when I saw it come up online. The lineup looked tremendous with Robert Kelly, Ian Fidance, Jaye McBride and Kyle Kinane amongst the headliners. I was always stoked to see friends in the local comedy scene such as Dan Geurin, Korey David, and Andy McDermott, as well as a brilliant comic that I now call my friend, Danny Braff, who I met recently at the Comedy Dojo in Morris Plains, NJ.

As a lifelong comedy fan and supporter (and, even after nearly 20 years on the mic, I am scared to try it myself, although it’s a bucket list thing for me), I had to see one of my heroes a couple of weeks ago at the Albany Funny Bone – the legendary Adam Carolla.

His opening comic was a young man named Travis Stealey. I had never seen or met him before, but he was fantastic. Afterwards, we just happened to be outside of the club after I met Carolla and complimented his work. I brought up the festival, and it turns out that he is one of the organizers of it. We struck up an immediate friendship, and I told him I needed to interview him about this great event.

The Saratoga Comedy Festival will be held on September 11-12, 2026, at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Apart from the aforementioned acts, this festival boasts world-class talent such as Dustin Ybarra, Shafi Hossain, and Chris O’Connor and Kerryn Feehan, who co-star alongside Shane Gillis on the smash hit (and brilliant) Emmy-nominated series, “Tires,” on Netflix. This festival has a diverse cast of characters performing, and with tickets starting at only $65, you are getting 60 comedians for the price to see one or two of some of these acts.

 

 

RRX: You and I met when you opened for Adam Carolla at the Funny Bone. How long have you been doing standup, and how often are you at the Funny Bone in Albany?

TS: I’ve been doing standup for about 12 years now. I’m at the Funny Bone once or twice a month on average, either hosting or featuring, and sometimes headlining.

RRX: Tell me – what influenced you to come up with the idea to create Saratoga Comedy Fest? 

TS: I performed at a bunch of festivals before, and they are always spread throughout various locations and usually in major cities, so you have to travel to the different spots to see each act. I went to a festival in Las Vegas, and it was all in one building; you could walk from room to room, and it was great. I wanted to do that here so you don’t have to travel and can get in as many shows as possible.

RRX: Why did you choose that location? 

TS: Saratoga is always busy. And always has events going on. This location (Saratoga City Center) is perfect because it’s one building with multiple rooms in it. And it can hold plenty of people. 

RRX: Is there food and drink available at this festival?

TS: Yup. There will be a few full bars, and a food vendor there, so everyone can walk out of one room and grab a bite or a drink and go catch the next show!

RRX: That’s convenient. I love it. How long have you been planning to do this? 

TS: This has been an idea for years now, but in spring of 2025, the wheels really started turning to make it happen

RRX: How did you decide who to book?

TS: I wanted to book a variety of comedians. This way, everyone can look at the flyer and schedule and say, “I’d like to see that one.” Plus, with so many other comedians booked, you’ll be leaving with a few new favorites you never knew about. 

RRX: Who else was involved with the creation of this?

TS: Myself and another local promoter, Joseph Revette, who runs Revhouse Promotions. We both thought this was a great idea, and we both have experience running shows and performing on them; it was a no-brainer. We both just haven’t done anything this big yet, haha.

RRX: You have a great lineup of comedians. What brought you to choosing them?

TS: Kyle Kinane was always an influence as a comic. Then we became friends, and I knew he would be perfect for this. Ian Fidance is a madman in the best way possible and another person I can call a friend in the comedy world. The show “Tires” is one of the #1 shows on Netflix, so we booked Chris O’Connor and Kerryn Feehan from the show for the festival. And of course, the legendary Robert Kelly! There is also a bunch of comedians that may not be known yet, but they are just as, if not funnier than, the headliners that I wanted everyone to see.

RRX: I’m looking forward to coming to this. Robert Kelly, Ian Fidance, and Danny Braff are some of my favorites. And locally, Dan Geurin is one of the greats! Do you have a lineup available yet at this time? 

TS: The schedule will be released to the public probably in the last week of the month. This way everyone can map out their schedule and catch every comic they want to see.

RRX: What do you want to see most come from this festival?

TS: I want to see everyone laugh and have a good time. The world is a mess, and we all need an escape from reality for a little while. Hopefully this festival does that.

Get your tickets to this event at www.saratogacomedyfest.com