Inspiring Conversations with Kevin Ruppert of Bricky’s Comedy Club

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Ruppert.

Hi Kevin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Bricky’s in 2022 with a simple mission: to help elevate the Dayton-area comedy scene and create more opportunities for the talented comedians who were already here.

I actually started stand-up around 2018 while living in the New York City area, before moving back home to Dayton about six months into comedy. Experiencing two very different markets early on gave me some perspective on what it takes for new comedians to develop.

New York obviously had a much larger and more established comedy infrastructure—countless stages, institutions, industry resources and a clear precedent for comedians building careers through the local scene. Dayton didn’t have those same resources, but it certainly didn’t lack talent or creativity. In fact, I found a culture here that cared unapologetically about the craft, particularly meticulous joke writing and developing original ideas. Pound for pound, I thought there was tremendous comedic potential in Dayton.

I became part of that community through Wiley’s Comedy Club, where I eventually became a regular, while also producing independent showcases at bars and breweries throughout the Miami Valley. Through those shows, I was developing not only as a performer, but as a booker and showrunner. Eventually I realized I could put those skills toward building something larger: a comedy club by comedians, for comedians, that could provide more opportunities and a bigger platform for Dayton’s underrated comedic talent.

The biggest initial obstacle was finding a home. Commercial real estate was too expensive for me to realistically open a traditional standalone club, so I developed a different model. I looked for an existing business with an underutilized entertainment space where we could create a legitimate comedy club experience while bringing the host venue additional customers and food and beverage revenue.

That led me to Star City Brewing Company in Miamisburg, and Bricky’s officially launched there on August 27, 2022.

The name is an homage to the classic brick-wall comedy clubs of the 1980s, but it also has a more personal origin. My ex-girlfriend’s father, a former masonry business owner, gave me a lot of valuable advice while I was considering launching the business, so bricks were front of mind. I liked the idea of focusing on one individual brick rather than the entire wall. If you’re going to build a successful independent comedy operation brick by brick, every brick has to matter.

Since then, Bricky’s has steadily grown into a much larger and more capable comedy operation. In 2024, we broke a world record and were voted Best Comedy Club in Dayton. We’ve hosted nationally recognized comedians including Mark Normand, Luis J. Gomez and Tony Woods, recorded successful comedy specials, welcomed more than 10,000 audience members, produced over 400 shows and provided stage time to thousands of comedians.

Star City became Peerless Mill Inn & Brewery under new ownership in 2026, but our partnership continued and Miamisburg remains our original home base. We’re now expanding into downtown Dayton through a partnership with the LightHaus in the Oregon District, while also developing a network of satellite venues throughout the region. We even have our first out-of-state location in New Jersey currently in development.

Four years later, the operation has grown considerably, but the mission hasn’t really changed. There was always talent here. There were audiences here. There were comedians who cared deeply about getting better. What Dayton needed was more infrastructure to connect those things and give them room to grow.

That’s what we’ve tried to build—brick by brick—and the mission continues.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When we put on the first Bricky’s show in 2022, I had negative $70 in my bank account. I had to borrow a stage curtain, spotlight and other equipment from friends just to get the operation off the ground. So from day one, we’ve had to get creative about finding capital and then using every dollar uniquely efficiently within our grassroots business model.

Booking bigger acts has presented another challenge. We compete with larger, more established clubs that often have deeper relationships with agents and management teams and more money to spend on talent. That’s forced us to be resourceful in how we network, build relationships and structure deals.

Then there are the countless logistical, operational and circumstantial problems that inevitably come with running a growing comedy operation. We’ve learned to take on each obstacle and find a solution.

I give tremendous credit for that to our VP and Operations Director, Jerrel Beamon, who came aboard in 2025 and has helped us cultivate a team capable of meeting those challenges head-on. Over the last couple of years, we’ve developed a culture of finding creative solutions to difficult problems.

It’s been a tough road and continues to be, but our team is determined, adaptable, fearless and accustomed to figuring things out.

We’ve been impressed with Bricky’s Comedy Club, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bricky’s is a grassroots comedy operation focused on bringing unique, independently produced comedy shows to audiences in the Dayton area and beyond. We’re constantly tweaking and improving what we do, with the goal of creating a better experience for both audiences and performers every year.

Just as important is our commitment to comedians. We work hard to provide an inclusive, welcoming and educational environment where newer comics can develop their craft, gain meaningful stage experience and find opportunities for advancement. We want Bricky’s to be a place where comedians can grow and genuinely pursue their comedy dreams.

What sets us apart is our grassroots approach. We strive to remain one of the most affordable comedy options in the area, consistently introduce audiences to new faces and local talent, and provide the personal touch that larger comedy organizations often can’t. We want people to feel like they’re part of something rather than simply attending another show.

We’re proud of the accolades Bricky’s has received, but we’re even prouder of seeing comedians who developed on our stages go on to accomplish great things, and of the consistently positive feedback we receive from audiences. Most of all, we’re proud that we’ve never been afraid to dream big. We set ambitious goals, embrace challenges and keep finding ways to make Bricky’s better than it was the year before.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
It sounds cliché, but I think determination and simply refusing to give up have been the most important qualities. Humility and introspection are important too. You have to be willing to honestly identify where you’re falling short, learn from mistakes and adjust accordingly.

I’ve also learned not to let ambition outpace resources. It’s easy when building a business to pursue a big idea before you’ve developed the knowledge, infrastructure or resources necessary to sustain it. Countless businesses try to build the entire wall in a day without first learning what makes that wall sturdy—and eventually it comes crumbling down.

That’s really the philosophy behind our motto at Bricky’s: brick by brick. Be ambitious about where you’re going, but patient and deliberate about how you get there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brickyscomedy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brickyscomedyclub/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brickyscomedy