Stan State student Branson Garza (English, Junior) hosts comedy events at Queen Bean Coffee and Social House, Food Fix Butcher and Baker and Deaf Puppy Comedy Club giving local comedians and members of the community an opportunity to perform stand-up comedy.

Garza’s events are open mic, allowing anyone to get on stage to perform a 5 minute comedy set. Guests can try stand-up for the first time, or seasoned comedians can share new jokes and strengthen their material.

He’s been a comedian for 6 1/2 years and has been listening to stand-up comedy on Pandora radio since he was a kid. Eventually, he connected with a cousin who did stand-up at 19 years old, leading him to find his path to comedy.

“I think at your core, you just have to want to make people laugh and then you use comedy as kind of a vessel for that. It’s almost like the paintbrush that you use to create your art, it’s really just a tool,” Garza said.

When Garza was twenty years old, he went to Denver, Colorado in order to find opportunities in comedy. Eventually, he returned to the Central Valley to go back to college. Where his friend and local comedian, Marcus Peverill, inspired him to become a part of the community.

“[Peverill] has always cared about the community, and he kind of instilled that into me like, ‘Yo, if you want this place to be something, you are that something,’” he said.

Peverill and Garza would start by co-hosting events around the area.

“Being a host is really interesting because once you become a host, your job isn’t to be the brush, it’s to be the canvas. What you are is the background that the art lays upon,” he said.

Sam Pierstorff (Modesto Junior College Professor, Owner of Queen Bean Coffee and Social House and Executive Director of Modesto Artists Movement) met Garza last year through Peverill, inviting them to come teach.

“I asked Branson and Marcus to come teach, like a one hour workshop on writing. It was great, we had like thirty or forty students the first time and then we just kind of kicked it over to open mic,” Pierstorff said.

As Executive Director of Modesto Artists Movement, Pierstorff loves comedy for being one of those arts that provides a unique side of speech that he does not hear on a regular basis.

“What I’ve loved about comedy and dabbling in it for the last five years is the free speech elements. It is very edgy and off color and so different from the academic world that I come from,” he said.

Though Garza started by co-hosting events, he recently took up ownership of some events, further establishing himself among the community.

“People love him. He’s very charismatic, he’s very funny. He can riff off to the comedians after they’ve presented without offending them but definitely getting the digs in. I think he’s becoming a quiet leader of comedy in the 209 and he’s young enough to have the energy to keep it going,” he said.

Pierstorff recommends that people should be aware that these events often have things said that can make people clutch their pearls.

“Don’t come if you have really sensitive ears. They are going to be hearing things that are going to make you clutch your pearls. So come to hear that stuff, it might help you get over your own hump,” he said. “I also think you only live once and we have a great comedy night, and if that’s ever been [a] bucket list thing to do, then this is the place to do it.”

Open-mic events present comedians a way to work on their craft and see what jokes make people laugh.

George Olson (Winemaker) has been doing stand-up for three years, has been partaking in local mic events as either a host or comedian and shared his thoughts on these events.

“Open-mics are like a stand-up comedian’s gym and you just try out new jokes, try to refine some ones that are maybe a little bit older or if you have new ideas for old jokes, you could try that out,” Olson said.

He credits Garza for being a great host and highlights how it can be another challenge on top of being a comedian.

“He’s a lot of fun. Hosting is a double edged sword because it’s not really about you. Like, if you’re going to throw a party, you want everybody to have a good time and Branson is really good at doing that,” he said.

For anyone interested in attending one of these events, Garza will be hosting an open-mic on Feb. 24, 2026, at the Queen Bean in Modesto, CA.