All of that makes the final-night event one of the most intimidating stages a Denver comic can walk onto. When it was his turn, finalist Eeland Stribling chose to kick off his set by saying the quiet part out loud.
"I was super nervous...so I came out on stage and said, 'Hey, everybody, I'm nervous,'" he recalls, laughing. But despite the butterflies, his first joke landed, as did all that followed. When the dust settled and the last chuckles had died away, Stribling ended up taking first place and the $1,500 prize, followed by Kate McLachlan in second and J.J. Alexander in third.
It was Stribling's second time going through the competition after an unsuccessful bid in 2022, in which the comedian left after the second round. When asked what helped him win the night this year — besides likable candor — he takes a long pause before replying.
"Just being comfortable," he muses. "I mean, I've been on that stage so much, and I've done well on that stage. I also haven't done well on that stage. I tried to look at it as: 'This is just another show.'" Which, considering the competition, is easier said than done, he admits: "The quality of comics in Denver is so high, and on any given night it could be any [of them] who just absolutely smashes it. There was never a moment like, "Oh, I'm gonna win," or "Oh, I'm gonna do really well."
Being on top still feels vindicating, he says. "I really, really love standup, and I love making people laugh. Winning a competition just sort of solidifies that I love the art of it, I love the craft, I always want to be better at it." Like most comics, Stribling's passion stems in part from having been a fan long before he was a pro.
"My first comedy special I ever watched was Katt Williams, when I was in middle school, I think," he recalls. "I watched this guy perform, and people were laughing at his stories, and I genuinely remember thinking, 'That's like a super power. That's so cool that he can get up and share his life and make people laugh.'" Telling jokes quickly became an object of fascination for him. "I love watching standup. I love watching comics get better. I love joke structures and storytelling, and so I've always been a fan," he explains.
Stribling took the first steps toward comedy while attending CSU Fort Collins and majoring in wildlife biology. It might seem like an unlikely pairing, but he says an investigative approach echoes through much of his work, including his first sets at Hodi's Half Note (now the Comedy Fort), which initially sprang from trying to find his place in the world.
"I wasn't making a lot of friends, [and] I was missing out on a sense of community," he reflects. "I was trying to figure out: 'Who am I? What am I doing?' I was having growing-up crises." Exploring a longtime interest in making people laugh and getting on stage proved to be the missing piece. "I started doing standup and was like, 'This is the coolest thing ever.' And even when I bombed, which was a lot, it was still like, 'This is fun. Now we have to figure out why did people like this or not like this.'"
Stribling was born and raised in Denver; his family has deep roots in the state as well as wildlife stewardship. Most of them live here, and all of them attended George Washington High School. His grandfather was the first Black biologist in Colorado, and Stribling followed in his footsteps after graduating, working for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department as a biology technician and fishery scientist. Eventually, he was drawn to education.
"I really love kids, and I love teaching, so I started volunteering and doing nonprofit work," he says. "So now my day job, when I'm not traveling or doing standup, is [teaching] kids about nature and animals and wildlife." He adds that working the classroom and the stage aren't as different as some might think. "Performing standup comedy is a lot like working with a bunch of middle-schoolers," he notes, "because it's a lot of time management, making sure people are paying attention, making sure everyone's having a good time."
After earning his degree, he moved to Denver in 2019, kept up with the stage work and made his mark that year by winning the Comedy Works Clean Competition, its winter showcase of clean material. His most recent win at New Faces is a testament to the benefits of the club's New Talent program, which he joined and progressed through, graduating to the "Almost Famous" list and regular spots downtown. These days, you can also catch him running several of his own idiosyncratic projects.
Of those, his favorite is undoubtedly Comedians on the Fly, a web show in which he blends comedy with his love for the mysterious discipline of fly-fishing. Stribling picked up the sport around ten years ago and is now a professional guide who has traveled the world, casting everywhere from Chile to Australia. He founded the CSU Fly-Fishing Club and shares his skills with local nonprofits such as Brown Folks Fishing.
"I take people who do standup comedy, whether they're in Colorado or they're touring, and I take them fly-fishing," he explains. "I get to ask them stories about themselves and their comedy — the worst set they had and the best set they've had. And then they just get to riff and be themselves while also learning how to fly-fish."
The show's unusual mix, which is partially inspired by the classic experimental series Fishing With John, has become one of his most funny and satisfying endeavors, he says. The participants invariably "make fun of fly-fishing, as they should, and they're all really bad at it, and it just makes for a good time and a good energy. That's my baby project that I can't wait to blow up one day."
He's also part of the team running a free monthly comedy show in partnership with Dude, IDK studios, called Old Dawgs, New Jokes. Joined by friends BK Sharad and Sammy Anzer, he says the idea is to deliver all-new material from some of the best comics in Denver. His next show officially on the calendar, however, is part of a different ongoing series, the stylistically loose Assorted Flavor. Attended by both local and traveling talent, Assorted Flavor gives Stribling and co-creator Brian Sullivan a chance to be silly, hang out and showcase other comics they admire. The next installment will take place at the Skylark Lounge on Thursday, December 14, and welcomes fellow New Faces finalist Kate McLachlan.
On top of all of that, Stribling says that if Denverites keep their eyes peeled, they'll likely catch him out and about almost anywhere comedy-related. "I try to do as much stuff as possible," he says. "If people come to any show [regularly], they'll probably see me at some point, because I always want to perform."
After all, it's not about the wins, he concludes, but about doing what makes you happy: "I absolutely love it. I would do it if no one ever paid me again."
Assorted Flavor, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 14, Skylark Lounge, 140 South Broadway. Tickets are $20 at eventbrite.com.
