No joke

Comedy and construction don't form obvious symmetry.

Unless you are Carmen Ciricillo.

For Ciricillo, comedy and construction is the lifeblood of a unique entrepreneurial double life: He's a professional standup comic who has performed in front of thousands, and he owns a company that teaches certified continuing education classes for the construction industry.

The comedy includes appearances from San Francisco to Naples. Ciricillo also played the tool man on Discovery Channel's “Your New House” in 2000.

The company, meanwhile, Sarasota-based Contractors Educational Services, is an area leader for hundreds of construction managers and contractors who need to fulfill Florida license requirements every two years. Past the basics, Ciricillo's niche is in helping students see the positive side of any situation that comes up on the job, from laying bricks to increases in workers' comp payments. There are online classes and in-person seminars.

“This business has evolved,” says Ciricillo. “I'm more of a motivator now. I've become like a therapist to many contractors.”

That's no joke. Jason Swift, with Sarasota-based Jon F. Swift Construction, is one of several area contractors who say Ciricillo provides a refreshing take on continuing education.
“Before, I would go through a boring, mundane class taught by an attorney or an accountant,” says Swift.

Ciricillo grew up in construction, not comedy. A Cleveland native, Ciricillo's grandfather, father and uncles were all in construction. But after college Ciricillo decided to pursue a career in comedy. He moved to Los Angeles with his wife in 1990, and worked his way into the regular rotation at the Santa Monica Improv.

An owner of the club taught Ciricillo a valuable business and life lesson: Do what you know. For Ciricillo, that's a routine based on his colorful construction family. He also created a character, the archetype of the bad contractor.

The bit was a hit. So much so Ciricillo changed career directions. Under the moniker The Construction Comic, Ciricillo built a name working industry conferences and confabs. From the late 1990s through 2004 he performed everywhere from Alaska to Arizona and New York to Las Vegas. Groups he performed in front of include the National Association of Home Builders, the National Underground Utility Contractors and the American Subcontractors Association.

“It became this intravenous way to get gigs,” says Ciricillo. “It was all from word of mouth.”

Ciricillo and his wife eventually left L.A. and moved to Sarasota, near family. The Construction Comic was a viable business — some jobs paid $10,000. But Ciricillo grew tired of life on the road. So when an opportunity came up to buy Contractors Educational Services and work closer to home, he took it. Now he combines passions, mixing standup with running the company.

“You do comedy for a long time, sometimes you get tired of doing comedy,” he says. “Now I get to teach people, too.”

Contractors Educational Services has several instructors who teach a variety of classes on a freelance basis, in addition to Ciricillo. Instructors travel for some seminars, from Pensacola through Key West, but the bulk of the work is from Tampa to Naples. The company teaches about 400 students a year in Tampa, says Ciricillo, and at least 300 in the Sarasota-Bradenton region.

Students range from plumbers and roofers to underground utilities professionals. The curriculum isn't all funny business, but Ciricillo aims to make thick topics at least somewhat interesting.

“We teach things from a contractor's point of view,” says Ciricillo. “I want them to feel good about being in construction.”

VIDEO
Carmen Ciricillo has an active YouTube and Facebook comedy page, with a variety of bits and standup snippets. Go to https://www.youtube.com/user/ciricillo63.

Follow Mark Gordon on Twitter @markigordon