Career Profiles
Liz Demery
Graduated: 1993
Major: Art & Theatre
Owner/Artistic Director of The Comedy Spot

Choosing a Major
Liz avoided what can be a frustrating task of narrowing the seemingly infinite possibilities of careers in her future:  “I simply picked an area where I wanted to learn,” she explains. Double majoring in art and theatre, she was able to pursue these interests simultaneously until theatre consumed the larger portion of her schedule.  Liz converted her art major into an art minor and continued to focus and develop her skills on the stage.

The Messiah Experience
Despite her active interest in the major, Liz did not play a main role in Theatre Messiah’s chief productions.  She instead turned her attention to off-campus opportunities in order to hone the skills she was developing on campus.  She was also able to expand upon this education at the Philly campus, which offered her a myriad of performance skill classes as well as a role in a minimum of one production per semester.

Transferability
Liz is able to clearly connect how the experiences gleaned at Messiah have been and continue to be relevant to her professional life.  “I’ve been in a variety of performances and the variety of skills I learned have allowed me to [be] self-employed since 1996, and I now own my own comedy club in Arlington, Virginia.”

What to Do Next
“I never thought of my major as vocational training,” Liz explains.  Following graduation, she moved to the D.C. area, leaving her own small town that lacked “many theatre opportunities.”  Assuming that she would maintain a day job, Liz simply expected to perform as an actress whenever she had the chance.

REMEMBER... • "Pursue what interests you.” • “If your job kills your soul, then you won’t have any extra energy to find a way to enjoy your life and vocation.”

Finding Her Niche
Within four years, Liz explored varied vocational pursuits - trolley driving, pharmacology, and pre-school teaching in Washington D.C. - before she became “self-employed as a performer.” Liz is now the owner and performer at her club, The Comedy Spot. “I book acts and events and perform when I can,” she says, describing her current vocation, "There is no such thing as a typical day.”

A"Why" Moment
“I’ve always just kept plugging away and when an opportunity arises – I go for it,” Liz explains as she elaborates on the reasons why she knows The Comedy Spot is indeed the spot for her.  “I am surrounded by good people who make my job easy. I enjoy what I do and the people with whom I work and spend my time.”

Dreams Still Dreaming
Liz is currently focused on fulfilling the demands of a small business owner to keep her establishment running smoothly.

 

Find out how other Messiah graduates became entrepreneurs:

Katrina Hunsberger Didot, owner of restaurant and catering business

Shelly Tolo, owner of event planning company

Deb Pierson, owner of computer consultation business

Paul Logan, owner of medical information technology consultation business

 

 

Profile by Brianna Davidson, March 2005