Meet Kim Clevenger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Clevenger.

Hi Kim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Lee Summit Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.

Home of the world’s best BBQ and the Kansas City Chiefs.

We lived on my grandpa’s cattle ranch until my parents bought a house in town when it was time for me to go to kindergarten. I had paralyzing shyness as a kid, and while I made good grades, I was very socially awkward. I started singing in the school choir in fourth grade, and it’s the first time I remember coming out of my shell.

I found my joy in performance, and it was the very beginning of my journey. I started playing violin and piano, and discovered that music was my jam! My happy place. I continued singing in choir and playing in the orchestra then discovered musical theater in high school. Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma!, Sweet Charity, and West Side Story were my shows. I wanted to be Maria so badly in WSS but was cast in the role of Anita. Belting “America” in my alto voice went well, but the dancing, not so much. I was the first Anita in West Side Story history on the back row of the dance lines. I was convinced I was awkward and uncoordinated as a kid and continued to carry that belief into my adulthood. Anyway, I wanted to major in musical theater in college, I auditioned for the program at Arizona State University, but my parents encouraged me to go to Mizzou and major in journalism instead. I sang in a band called Studio H in Columbia, joined the college chorus, and signed up as the song leader for my Alpha Chi Omega sorority.

After college, I put performance on the back burner while I tried to make my way into the grown-up world.

I began my professional life in newspaper advertising, then in beverage sales, then in restaurant management, then in sales management. I began acting classes with Brian Cutler’s Commercial Actors Studio, signed with Exposure Model and Talent in my late 20s, and did a little bit of acting work in Kansas City. I dreamed of moving to Los Angeles and pursuing a career in entertainment for many years and finally pulled the trigger, packed my little hatchback, and drove out in 2002.

Drinking and partying had put the kabash on my dreams prior to that, but with some outside help, I got sober, put my life back together, and had the spark to pursue my dreams reignited. For anyone struggling with addiction, I am proof that there is help and hope. I auditioned commercially when I first got to LA, but then a friend from my high school musical theater days, Matt Antrim, offered me a job in casting. It seemed like a natural fit with my background and performance and sales, and I cast the lead role in a reality television series, Average Joe, straight out of the gate. Of course, she was a Kansas City girl! I found success in reality television casting, the job offers kept coming in, and that continued to be my trajectory for the next 19 years. I loved interviewing real people, finding out what made them tick, discovering their hopes and dreams, and sharing their stories with the world. My favorite casting assignments involved working with kids and included Little Big Shots hosted by Steve Harvey and Kids Say the Darnedest Things hosted by Tiffany Haddish. They were a master class in comedy before I even started doing stand up! I cast shows for every major and cable network over the years and loved my career, but the bug to perform kept whispering in my ear. I began singing in a choir at a spiritual center, then became the soloist, then the lead female vocalist in their band. I finally got help with my food and body image issues, lost 80#, and took a burlesque class to get more comfortable in my skin.It was terrifying and exhilarating!

I had always wanted to do stand-up comedy but was too afraid to give it a go. My mom was diagnosed with ALS in 2016. I watched her lose all mobility and communication and then her life – it was horrifying. It also gave me the courage to face my fears. I thought “What the hell am I so afraid of? Seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Someone doesn’t like me? Someone doesn’t think I’m funny? Who cares! I took my first comedy class with Lisa Sundstedt at Pretty, Funny Women in 2019, and my comedy journey began. I began booking shows and getting stage time everywhere I could in Los Angeles. I took additional classes with Bobbie Oliver teacher of The Tao of Comedy and Dat Phan, winner of Last Comic Standing Season 1, who also helped me hone my craft and up my game. Comedy is a fickle lover and not for the faint of heart! One night you can absolutely kill, and the next, eat absolute sh*t. But I was hooked. I absolutely loved sharing my story with the world instead of everyone else’s. Digging into the rawest, most vulnerable parts of myself and poking fun at them. Being single & dating in Los Angeles, recovering from alcoholism and obesity, trying to keep my aging face & body glued together, being obsessed with my little dogs, family dysfunction, all of it! I have now been doing stand-up comedy for 3 1/2 years, and I am on fire! I’ve had the honor of performing all over Los Angeles, including at the world-famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

I’ve been on lineups with Tom Arnold and Darryl Hammond. I recently flew to Seattle to perform at a recovery convention, then opened for Dat Phan the following weekend in Huntington Beach. Dustin at the Comedy Club of Kansas City also gave me stage time! First, doing an opening set for Alonzo Bodden, and recently, doing one for Adam Ray. There is nothing quite like coming home! I performed at CCKC on September 9, with 45–50 of my high school & college friends in the audience. My dad, who always wanted me to get a “practical“ job like working the line at our Ford plant, told me he was proud of me. I think of my mother at every performance and the courage and tenacity I got from her. I started comedy and menopause at the same time, and I’m here to tell you, it’s never too late to pursue your dreams! F*ck what everyone else tells you that you “should” be doing. Do you. Live out loud. Be of service to other people, even if that’s just making them laugh. The world can be a dark and ominous place right now; we need laughter more than ever. I am more than happy to give and receive it every day. I still make my living as a reality television casting director. I’m wrapping up a Bravo show this week. I’ve been taking acting classes at The Biz Studio with Mary Kennedy & Paul Jacek for 2 1/2 years, and recently signed with The Happen Agency. Who knows what the future holds? You just might see me on a sitcom, and catch my Netflix comedy special in the next few years…

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My own demons (alcoholism, compulsive overeating), depression & anxiety, and self-doubt were my biggest obstacles, but now they are fodder for comedy bits. Losing my mom was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced, but her courageous battle with ALS is what gave me the courage to pursue my dreams.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being on stage performing comedy. Hiking with my dogs, Dilly & Sweet Pea. Interviewing people and having them open their hearts and spill their guts to me.

Helping others recover from substance abuse and food addiction. Seeing my friends on the big and small screens. Dreaming of seeing myself there someday. Sunshine. Belly laughs. Connection.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kimclevengercomedy  @kimclevengercasting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.clevenger.10/

Image Credits
Shane Karns, Sarah Dean, Jazzy Byner & Denise Evans