I’ve had a lot of people ask me lately, “Why did you stop doing PNW Comedy shows and start writing about your community?”
The short answer is- I didn’t have a choice; I needed a break and this is my measure of protest to multiple things
First off, writing these posts has become my own personal revolution, a Boston Tea Party of one in this bay called Yamhill County
Secondly, I see stories not being covered by the sole news organization here because they are dependent on the advertising money that keeps their doors open, I see large news organizations in Portland and Salem ignore important stories here because of a lack of time or space in their publications, I see public officials ignore requests from citizens because they think it doesn’t matter until they check the person’s name that is requesting info, I see good and bad and self righteous people trying their hardest to continue on without being heard and seen
Lastly, I’m not saying I can change anything. However, I do have some experience in getting things seen and done: Besides running PNW Comedy and putting on hundreds of comedy shows for thousands of people, I am a part of META’s Small Business Leader’s Network since 2023 (I got flown out to DC last year to meet Sen. Wyden’s staff in his office), I was the Operations & Sales Manager for the Klamath Falls Gems minor league baseball team (when they were a part of the San Francisco Giants affiliate system, no big deal), and I worked multiple seasons for the first professional sports team that ever called McMinnville home, the Yamhill HighFlyers (look it up, they played basketball in the IBL at the Mac High and Linfield gyms).
While I recognize that I am privileged, those jobs and accomplishments and experiences in entertainment don’t give me the political clout or the name reorganization that other individuals in similar positions receive because I am not a braghard (okay, clearly I kinda am) and I largely do not tout my odd accomplishments beyond posting them on this website or on my resume. (Because they basically have no real world value, to be honest.) But maybe if I can use some of my privilege and *we* start talking about some of these issues, pointing out absurdities, reaching out and speaking mindfully to people with whom we know we do not agree, maybe, maybe that will allow someone else to share their perspective and see that there is common ground past the drama and the trauma of the current moment in time.
-Andrew Brunello
YamhillAE.com