Adam Newman has come a long way from gay porn.

A University alum, Newman moved to New York City in the summer of 2006 to become a comedian — but his first official gig wasn’t anywhere near an open mike.

“[The publicist] was like, ‘Hey we need extras to be in this gay porn,’” Newman said. “But hey, it’s part of the journey.”

Adam Newman

His acting career was short-lived, though, and four years later, he’s managed to break in quite well, with steady gigs up and down the East Coast as well as a job with CollegeHumor.com

With training at New York City’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade and four years of stand-up experience, Newman has made a career out of producing viral content — sketches and videos online — while also performing live.

“Athens is by far my favorite place to come back to,” he said. “It’s also the only place I can come back to and just perform with my friends at the venue I want. It’s one of the only cities I want to just hang out in.”

Originally inspired by seeing Mitch Hedberg’s show at 40 Watt in his sophomore year, Newman began his career as a comic with a simple yet misguided goal.

“I thought, ‘I’m gonna have all these super-smart, absurd one-liners,’” he said. “Then you realize there are a million people doing this.”

With that realization came a change.

Though he still remains a big fan of some of the biggest alternative comedians such as David Cross and Zach Galifianakis, Newman discovered a voice that’s equal parts improvised storytelling and jokes.

Citing David Sedaris and Louis C.K. as major influences and prominent examples of his stand-up style, Newman has found that the best way to

His process is often just an off-the-cuff listing of interesting experiences.

Newman frequently takes the stage with little more than a list of bullet-points, which he then works through onstage.

Those stories that stick are then developed more — he works on the rhythm and adds more detail.

“It’s what every comic should aspire for — to be as relatable as possible, and as funny,” Newman said.

His easy-going storytelling method has helped him stand out from the pack, and has earned him notice from the current crop of Athens comedians.

Hitting the stage again in the Classic City, Newman promises his current live show displays his years of experience and improvement — and that he’s not the nervous beginner who first played Athens as a student almost four years ago.

“It’s going to be a hilarious comedy show,” he said. “If [you] haven’t seen live comedy, come out and see it. Comedy is better when it’s live.”