Meet Julio Ray
As reported by: Shirley Reyes
Email: statenislandlatino@yahoo.com
Staten Islander Julio Ray is a comedian turned Comedy Producer/Booker, who grew up in the Stapleton – Park Hill Projects during the 1970’s. It was during this time that he was inspired by the late comedian Freddie Prinze to pursue a career in comedy. Although Julio loves being in front of an audience, recently he has found his true purpose behind the scenes helping other Comedians.
The catalyst for this new-found success came about after working for another Production Company who treated Comics very badly and unprofessionally, so he quit only after 2 shows with them, also Julio heard on ijokes.com that George Lopez said that he would not help an up & coming Latino Comic because he had to struggle hard to get where he is and feels someone new has to as well and Kevin Pollack say that comedians have it too easy today; this is when Julio Ray decided to go into the business of doing the exact opposite – to help offer a break to new and upcoming comedians.
Julio’s company, Comedy Pie Productions, produces sold-out performances at various clubs throughout New York City. He boldly states, “When you do good, good happens. Life is too short. I’m not in this to be famous, if you do something you shouldn’t do it for the fame, you do it because you love to do it.”
StatenIsandLatino.com: What do you think are the makings of a good comedian?
Julio Ray: Well some people are funny in person, but not on stage. The key is to have a great persona and great material as well. You have to also get the audience to know you. Take real life issues and use that because people identify with real life issues. You got to have personality in order to make it. You have to be likable. You have to constantly write, get fresh material. I challenge all of the comics I work with to write at least five new minutes of solid material per month and not to perform the same stuff over and over. That’s a realistic goal and one that will keep you fresh and on your toes.
StatenIslandLatino.com: What type of comedians do you typically work with?
Julio Ray: I work with all types, from all backgrounds. Actually, it is really hard to find Latino comedians.
StatenIslandLatino.com: Why is that?
Julio Ray: I don’t know. For some reason finding Latino comics is hard. It’s even harder to be booked as a Latino comedian, especially if you’re from New York. Because if you get some type of fame here, in New York or anywhere else the people assume you are already connected and don’t need the help. So they will not book you.
StatenIslandLatino.com: What was growing up “Nuyorican” in Staten Island?
Julio Ray: Growing up in the Stapleton-Park Hill Projects during the 1970’s was a great experience. The community was very neighborly and family oriented. People would leave their doors open, even sleep with them open. Everyone looked out for one another. If you couldn’t’t pay for your kid to go to school, everyone would start up a collection and everyone supported one another. The time was great, the people were great. Up until the 1980’s when drugs started to infiltrate the neighborhoods. Even fights were done “the right way.” If one guy had twenty people, if he was fighting and getting beat up, no one jumped in. The fights were one on one. And there was no retaliation. After the fight you either became friends or squashed it and never talked to each other again.
StatenIslandLatino.com: What is the same experience like today?
Julio Ray: Absence of current Computer Technology is what made us different back in the day. The thing that worries me about all this new technology are the predators that are able to prey on children, and people on the internet. Technology is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because there is so much information available for educational purpose and it makes it easier for people to want to be further educated, but a curse, because it has made it so easy for people to not use it with good intentions. For Comics it’s a great way to market yourself and build a fan base with. Today kids & adults as well waste a lot of time playing computer games, we use to go out and actually socialize. Folks are more impersonal today to me, many try to build frienships on line and I think thats crazy, but I’m old school, I’d rather go to the Library to get information than get it on line. You’ll never know who’ll you bump into.
StatenIslandLatino.com: Was there a lot of race issues on Staten Island when you were growing up?
Julio Ray: Yeah, there was, not in my neighborhood, but definitely in other parts of the Island. There is bridge that divides Stapleton and Rosebank, we used to call that the point of no return (laughing). Prejudice folks from that part of town used to come and start fights with other kids if they passed it and looked different.
StatenIslandLatino.com: Do you think that sort of problem still exists on Staten Island?
Julio Ray: Yes, it’s still a problem. In certain areas, it’s definitely a problem, but not at the Bridge, the Puerto Ricans took it in 1987!
StatenIslandLatino.com: What do you think are some of the problems facing Latinos today?
Julio Ray: Some of us are socially & politically uninformed about most current events here at home and abroad as well. People don’t stick together anymore and get involved or fight for anything. That’s the reason I placed a “Get Involved” blog on my website, to provide a source for those who are interested to write their Representatives & Senators on issues that interest them.
StatenIslandLatino.com: Why do you think that Latinos don’t have a huge cultural, social, or political organization to represent them such as the NAACP?
Julio Ray: We’re divided. We need to build up better coalitions. Because Latinos are more diverse, i.e.: We’re Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican, and Colombian etc. Imagine the coalition and power we would have as a collective unit! We need to work better at organizing ourselves and supporting each other more. We’re only viewed at as a big “CONSUMER” market by Mainstream America, but I find it insulting that we got noticed because we have Purchasing power, what we need is Political Power as well. I don’t like the idea of some corporate Non-Latino in a suit thinking they can market for us…hire a Latino to do that job! We are the “Latin Nation” There are Afro-Latinos, Mexican Latinos, Caribbean Latinos and so forth. People don’t realize that there are strength in numbers, United we stand, divided we fall!
Julio Ray on the Hip-Hop Culture- He says, “It could be positive, but unfortunately the successful part of it, is the part that shows children the glorification of having an excess of money and material things, and the exploitation of women.” It doesn’t show the negative part of it or even the hard work it takes. “Kids believe that image, and strive for that. They will do anything to be famous. And everything is sexualized today. A commercial selling chewing gum that has nothing to do with relationships has to have a sexy girl blowing in the ear of a good-looking guy. What does that have to do with the gum?” He excitedly states. “The young don’t believe in working hard or becoming successful through education, this generation wants everything quickly!
He says that, “Since the 1970’s education has been severely down graded.” He says, “back in the day we used to learn! I mean really learn, reading, writing, arithmetic, science. And they never gave tests.” According to him tests didn’t exists, until the mid-70’s when scholastic tests came about. Then all they learned was how to prepare for the tests. He expresses how important he feels that reading is. He himself didn’t speak English until he was 6 or 7 years old. He says, “I learned by reading harder books.” By the time he was in the eighth grade he was reading at college level. His belief is, “when you read well, you speak well.” “If he didn’t read, he wouldn’t be in comedy,” he says. “Part of the problem growing up in the Projects is that the people that live there get this No Hope mentality and don’t see opportunity. They fall into the trap of not “getting-out.” Some people work hard to pull themselves out, but some people have the dream but don’t want to do the work.” “It’s tough, but sometimes that is what people are made to think, that they can’t do any better, so they give up.”
For more information about Julio Ray checkout his website at: www.julioray.com or www.myspace.com/julioray
