May 16, 2017

Meet Keenan Camp of VAMP Chicago in Belmont Theater District

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keenan Camp.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m originally from Mt. Pleasant MI, a middle child, and pretty dorky ham throughout all of my life. I went to college in my home town (Central Michigan University) for about three years before cabin fever crept in hard and I had to get out. I decided to move to Chicago instead of finishing a degree with a major that had changed three or four times. I was in Chicago for almost two years before I got into improv and performing. I had done it in high school, but never realized it was something I could pursue until I got to the city. Over the next ten years, I studied at iO, The Annoyance, and Second City. I’ve performed in countless shows throughout the years, and written/created a few as well. I’ve been in a horror movie (“You Are Not Alone”), done god awful dinner theatre, directed a Jaws musical I co-wrote (“All That Jaws”), and still continue to learn and grow as a performer/creator. Music improv is something that only came into my life a few years ago, and I owe my knowledge and confidence in that to MCL Chicago and the people I’ve met there, most notably Stephanie McCollough. I wouldn’t be where I am today as a performer, without that place, and without that group of crazy supportive musical theatre geeks. Also, VAMP wouldn’t be where it is as a show, or as a business, without that theater or the support from those geeks either. There wouldn’t be a VAMP Chicago if there was never an MCL Chicago.

The idea for VAMP came after what a lot of great ideas come after, a good night of drinking, but I’ll get to that shortly. Myself and fellow creator Brandon C. Price, met each other during Second City’s conservatory program, and became fast friends. We did a few shows together here and there, and were itching to work on a new project together. Luckily, some dear friends of ours, Stephanie McCollough, Alex Garday, and Michael Jordan (not that one) had just opened up a theater called MCL Chicago (Music Comedy Live). They approached us about coming up with some content for the space, and we set off to produce. Here’s where the drinking comes in. We got together to shoot some ideas at each other, and after a few beers, or more than a few, we needed a break, so Brandon got out his guitar, and we started making up songs. I had brought up the idea of a short form musical improv show earlier, and with the beer flowing through our veins, and a song slurring from our mouths, we realized what we had to do to make that idea even better. Add booze. MCL is a BYOB theater! That doesn’t have to mean only the audience can drink. We wanted to drink along with them. We wanted the audience feel like they just happened to walk in on some drunk, but talented, and good friends, making music off the tops of their heads. Overall, we just wanted the show to feel inclusive. For the audience, and the cast. We got to work making up a lot of new improv games, and tweaking older ones to fit a musical structure. Once we had a decent arsenal, and had come up with a name, we pitched the idea to MCL, got the okay, and had our first show on July 31st, 2014. We started on Thursday nights, and I’ll be honest, we struggled. After a few months of more than a few rough Thursdays, MCL approached us, and offered the Saturday night slot, believing that if we were on a better night, we could kill. They also set us up with a full band, whereas before, we only had a piano player. Brandon and I will be forever grateful that they believed in us, because they were right. Saturdays were great. So great, we were asked to go to Fridays and Saturdays. With the show growing, as well as MCL, it was apparent to us that we needed to turn this little show that started one drunken night on a couch, into a legit business. After working so closely with MCL for so long, we knew we wanted their continued support and talents, so Brandon and I asked Alex and Michael to come aboard, and the four of us formed VAMP Chicago LLC.

That was almost two years ago, and we’ve learned and grown a lot as business owners over that short period. There are those hard times, where you feel like you’re beating your head against a wall, and there are those great times when you feel like you’re riding a unicorn over a lollipop forest. Having a good group of creative, talented, and hardworking business partners/friends, all striving for the same goal, makes those hard times easier, and those great times even better.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s smooth most days, but there are always bumps. Sometimes you’re the bump, sometimes someone else is, and sometimes it’s just the universe. Personally for me, being a creator of the show before it was a company, came with a larger amount of power and creative control. When the show became a business that meant more responsibilities had to be spread out across the board, and some of that power had to be let go of. That was hard for me, and I still struggle with it at times. But it’s good to own up to your faults and try to be aware of them when you can, or else you can’t grow as a human/leader/creative. I try to remind myself of Star Wars. It worked best when Lucas collaborated.

As far as the company goes, our first year was great. Ticket sales were up, and we didn’t experience the normal summer slump most theatre goes through, so we felt on top of the world. Last year however, that summer slump hit us, and hit us hard, and we weren’t the most prepared for it. We’re now back to a place where we’re feeling comfortable not pinching every penny, but we’re being smart, and things are already starting to look good for the summer ahead. Lesson learned and applied.

Please tell us about VAMP Chicago.
VAMP Chicago is a showcase of some of the city’s strongest musical comedy talent. The show features a rotating cast of 16 actors and nine musicians who produce the best music comedy in Chicago on a weekly basis. Seeing a VAMP Chicago show is like seeing “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” but everyone’s Wayne Brady, so it’s all music made up on the spot. If it’s a home show at MCL Chicago, (a BYOB theater), the cast drinks right along with the audience, with a full bar and bartender on stage. We perform our home shows every Friday and Saturday night at 10:30pm. We’re also available to do bachelorette parties, birthday parties, company parties, reunions etc, and you can even buy out the whole show for yourself if you’ve got the right funds. But no matter what, if you are at a VAMP home show, touring gig, or we’re the entertainment at your neighborhood swinger’s party, you’re going to have a hilarious night of interactive music comedy with some truly talented performers, and all around good human beings.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
For me, I wouldn’t change a thing. No regrets. I am where I am today because of the choices I made, be they good or bad, and I’m pretty happy with life and the things I’ve learned. Maybe I would have taken math more seriously, but that’s why we have calculators. For VAMP, if we could start over, I think there’s one thing we would all agree on. We did some CTA advertising, and it was probably not the best choice at the time. It was fairly expensive, but we had the money and decided to pull the trigger. We had a rough patch shortly after, and could have used the money we had spent on the ad. It didn’t break us, but we felt it. Especially after spending money on something so hard to track your return of investment on. But that’s what hindsight is for. We keep learning. Other than that, I’m very happy with how things have turned out, and how things look for the future. It’s so bright we gotta wear shades!

Pricing: