Jumping from anchor to stand-up

When UW alum and stand-up comedian Tina Kim envisioned a future career on TV, her only role model was news anchor Connie Chung.

"Being Asian and female, [an anchor woman] was the only thing I thought I could be on television," shoe said.

A career in broadcast journalism followed her 1994 graduation from the UW. Her first stint was as a reporter in Yakima. It was TV, but it was a small operation.

"In Yakima, you are everything: cameraperson, teleprompter, you do the weather," she said.

A move to a Missoula, Mont., station wasn't much better, but she landed a position as morning news anchor. With a charming smile and animated speaking style, her success on the small screen isn't surprising.

But Margaret Cho changed her life.

"Before I saw Cho on TV, I never thought I could be a comedian," Kim said in a phone interview last week in the middle of the tour that brings her to tonight's appearance at Comedy Underground.

"When I saw her on TV, I had an epiphany," she said. "Hanging out in Missoula wasn't getting me anywhere -- there's not much ass to kiss there, so I sold my car and moved to New York City."

In the Big Apple, Kim dove headfirst into comedy by producing her own shows, much like a band books its own gigs, and taking a share of the door profits.

Often, she lives hand-to-mouth on immediate profits from recent audiences. But in Kim's opinion, the way she produces her shows lets her know just how funny she is. If audiences don't like her jokes, they don't just change the channel -- they stop showing up at the clubs, and she stops getting paid.

Kim appeared briefly on the NBC show Last Comic Standing. It put her name out to a large audience, but she remarks that the show was primarily a vehicle for a few comedians whose managers were also the producers of the show. Because of that experience, she's wary of the gravitational pull of Hollywood many performers feel.

Audience members sometimes approach her after a show and tell her she's nothing like Cho, despite also being a Korean female. While Kim avoids repeating Cho's material, she admits to a little overlap -- but who doesn't have parents with absurd behavior?

Her career arc is improving, even if she doesn't have an HBO special lined up yet.

"My shows in Los Angeles sell out now," she said. "I don't have to break my back anymore, and I get a lot of repeat customers who bring their friends."

If her website is any indication of her success, then she's on the right track. Performing internationally, she still books shows on the west coast. Kim appears Wednesday night at the Comedy Underground in Pioneer Square. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door.