For Salina Singleton, her group the Camden Comedy Collective, is all about supporting its members and building a sense of community.
“I think one of the coolest parts about doing this is seeing the growth,” Singleton said of watching individuals getting their start in comedy through her group. “We have been the first touchpoint into comedy for a lot of folks, which is awesome. We want to cultivate that newer generation.”
Singleton, a Camden native, started her own production company Wonderful Me Media a few years ago, producing projects like web series and podcasts. But she said a specifically comedy-centric outlet was something she had been wanting to do for a while.
In late 2024, she said she put out feelers to see if there was any interest in the idea locally, and after starting with just five or six people, the group quickly grew.
“We’ve just been off and running from there,” she said. “It is a very big vision. We do sketch, improv, and standup.”
She said they now have about 30 people in the group including performers, writers and producers.
She said her goal from the beginning has been all about creating opportunities in South Jersey.
“A lot of people who are wanting to do things, specifically for comedy, like improv and stand up, you always have to hop over the bridge, or you have to venture into North Jersey or New York,” she said.
“There’s no real hub. There’s awesome stuff that happens. There’s always been comedy shows in the area, and there’s been several open mics, but no community, no kind of hub. So that’s the idea – to create more of a comedy scene here in South Jersey, because we certainly have the population to support it.”
The Collective is currently running two weekly open mic comedy events – Tuesdays at the White Horse Pub in Oaklyn and Thursdays at Angelo’s Larchmont Pizzeria in Mt. Laurel.
The group also holds other events periodically and is working on filmed projects as well. And Singleton said they’re always looking to add to their membership.
“We are recruiting!” she said. “I am absolutely looking for more people who can do production work, I am looking for more actors, obviously more comedians or people who are interested in trying stand up.”
You can find out more about the Camden Comedy Collective by following them on Instagram and Facebook, or online at www.wonderfulmemedia.com.
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