It’s time for one of the country’s hottest comedians to go onstage and perform. Nathaniel Stroman, known professionally as “Earthquake,” is preparing to do his normal set in front of a sold-out crowd. But before he steps onstage, he remembers what got him to where he is. He understands that the work begins much earlier.
Earthquake has always been a determined person. Before becoming a comedian, he spent nine years in the military. Serving in the Airforce, Earthquake worked on servicing the F-16 and F-15 jets. After his exit from the military, he decided to try his hand at comedy.
“When I was in the military about to get out, I heard that Steve Harvey was going to be in town. I went to his hotel room and asked him if he would mentor me, and he said yes,” Earthquake said. “From that day on, Steve has been my mentor in the comedy business and helped me become the person I am today.”
The two formed a friendship that has led Earthquake to become one of the top acts across the country. The idea that two Black men support each other might sound foreign to the perception of who Black men are. But to Steve and Earthquake, this is nothing new. Black comedians have always had a reputation of supporting and helping each other rise and grow.
“There are a lot of us who help each other. Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, and Bernie Mack before he passed — we all help each other elevate,” Earthquake said. And elevate he has. He presently hosts a radio show entitled, Quakeshouse for SiriusXM and Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network. His first Netflix special entitled Chappelle’s Home Team – Legendary: Earthquake was produced by Dave Chappelle and his Magic Lemonade production entity in February of 2022.
He has been on several TV shows and has filmed several movies over his career. Earthquake credits his ability to stay focused as one of the keys to his success.
“It takes discipline and constancy to be successful at anything, but especially in comedy. The fruits of being a comedian can be a distraction if you let it,” Earthquake explained, “If you’re going to get onstage with the mindset to get women or things that come from comedy, you will never get to the level of a superstar.”
Black men all over the world should take a page out of the Earthquake playbook. Because Black men are not allowed to own anything, they sometimes will use other things to measure success. Acquiring things or conquering women are sometimes used to try to elevate status, but Earthquake warns that only true focus will allow anyone trying to reach a goal, to get there.
“If your motivation is to get women, or your motivation is to get seen or if your motivation is to get popular, then you’re not going to last in this business. I would tell anyone who wants to do comedy to avoid the noise all around you. Make sure the people around you share the same interest as you.”
Earthquake recommends having very competent people around them. Comedy is a business. He has seen his share of people come in and out of his life as he climbed the comedy latter.
“Everyone is not meant to be with you the entire way on your journey to get to where you want to be,” Earthquake said. “I have had to eliminate some people out of my life who were not good for my long-term goals. And that’s OK.”
Earthquake cares about what he puts into his body. He rarely drinks, does not smoke, and works to maintain a lifestyle that allows him to be very consistent in his performance night after night.
“Jay’Z said it best. You don’t want to be famous for two years. The goal is to be famous for as long as you can and that takes the kind of discipline that most people don’t have,” Earthquake said.
Earthquake admits that he isn’t always motivated. But even when he isn’t, he is! He understands that there are going to be moments when his mind is elsewhere, and his mentality is less than what he needs it to be. But he always comes back to his days in the military where discipline ruled the day. He uses that training to continue to grind, even when he doesn’t want to.
Earthquake knows that he’s a business. He knows that his brand is up to him. If he doesn’t understand and live in that, why would his team work to keep his brand alive? Being at the tip of the spear is hard work, tireless, and sometimes thankless.
Putting the right people around you is what Earthquake covets the most.
“It has been trial and error to find the right team to help me run my business. Some people rise to the challenge and some people don’t. You cannot be afraid to let people go when you see that they’re not doing what you need them to do.”
Earthquake understands that with him working on so many different platforms, people’s skillsets are going to be different. The person who helps with TV might not be good for Feature films. A person who is good with radio might not be good for the stage. Earthquake understands that his needs are different for each area of show business that he works in.
Earthquake hesitates to hire friends to work in his line of work. He knows that it can be hard for people to understand just how challenging it is to maintain the level of success they have acquired. Quite often, people confuse success with ease. And easy looks fun, when it’s incredibly difficult to have the kind of success that Earthquake has attained.
Earthquake’s 2023 is bright with projects scheduled for release all throughout the year. He has a movie coming out with Jerry Seinfeld soon. He has several other projects scheduled to tape with Dave Chapelle slated for Netflix, and he will continue to tour around the country.
As Earthquake takes the stage, his comedy creates an incredible experience for his audience. They get a chance to hear amazing jokes, funny stories, and calculating wit. What they also get to see is a man who is focused, happy, and consistent — but they don’t notice any of that because they are not supposed to. Comedy is a show. For Earthquake, it’s a show/business. ●
