Eclectic. If one word could be used to describe Scottish comedian and UWS graduate Billy Kirkwood’s career it would be that: comedian, breakfast show host, script writer, media rep, actor, video shop assistant. He’s done a great deal since his days as a student on the BA Media, Theory & Production degree at our Ayr campus.

“Throughout my career I have said yes to everything!” explains Billy, who now spends most of his time as a successful stand-up comedian. “So, I do a lot of different things, but everything comes from my job in comedy, which I have now been lucky enough to do for 18 years.”

It is a job that many dream about, but Billy acknowledges the hard work it took to get to there.

“I’d say I have been very lucky, but that is also because I am willing to be diverse in what I do and I realised very early on that no is going to do it for me, the phone is not just going to ring, so I have always said yes to everything!”

Billy graduated from UWS in 2000, when it was University of Paisley, and he explains that he knew he wanted to work in the creative industries, he just wasn’t sure how: “I left university not really understanding how to get into the industry, so I got a job in Blockbuster video, got involved in an amateur theatre company and it took me a while to figure out what it was that I really wanted to do.

“Then I did some media work for an insurance company and gradually began to realise what was my best asset, I knew I wanted to get into comedy and so I started with one stand up gig on November 30, 2004 in the Buff Club in Glasgow and it went really well! I even got asked back for the next night!

“And then I died on my feet!” he laughs.

“However, it made me realise what I really wanted to do and it was comedy. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but it was very exciting. From there I did an event at the Glasgow Comedy Festival and from that the BBC asked me to come and write scripts for a kids show and from that grew other jobs and opportunities.”

Billy then decided to give stand-up another go, he did it for six months, which turned into a year, which turned into a very successful career, that has seen him perform all around the world, one particular highlight being Tartan Week in New York earlier this year.

It is clear that he is someone who grabs opportunities with gusto, but also creates them with the same enthusiasm: “University taught me a lot about being independent, but I also felt very supported throughout my time here,” he says.

“I learned the importance of collaborating with others, about networking and about grabbing opportunities. For example, I set up comedy gigs in Kilmarnock because getting them in Glasgow could be difficult – and people actually came to see me!”

Having worked in the creative industries for almost two decades, in which the sector has been dramatically transformed, Billy is very aware of the challenges but also of the opportunities: “There are so many different opportunities now, so many people have managed to build successful followings online and that is amazing, for example, I am about to start hosting a new drive time show on Edge Radio, and I will do it from my very own home studio.”

Billy’s enthusiasm for his very diverse career is palpable and he offers this advice to UWS students and graduates: “Try and be a little fearless. No one is going to do it for you, and you will make mistakes but enjoy it and learn from it. Pursue your happiness, that is the key.”

Find out more abut Billy on his website.

Article by Dr. Margaret Hughes, UWS Senior Lecturer – Journalism/Sports Journalism