Business Ownership Not All Laughs For Local Comedian

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Larry Bloom has made it his mission to bring live stand-up to the North Shore. The Highland Park resident founded Funnier by the Lake Comedy after nearly two decades running his own graphic and website design and consulting firm. Bloom, a stand-up comedian himself who produces live comedy showcases and dinner-and-a-show events at various venues, said the name was the first one that came to mind.

"I’ve spent most of my life right on the shore of Lake Michigan, and heard the phrase, 'cooler by the lake' just about every day on the weather report," Bloom said. "When I decided to start producing comedy shows on the North Shore, Funnier By The Lake was probably the first and only name that I thought of. Just makes complete sense."

"Since starting Funnier By The Lake Comedy in 2014, I’ve produced, co-produced and consulted on many shows. I’m most proud of the following I built over [more than two and a half] years running a bi-monthly comedy show I developed at Billy Corgan’s Madame Zuzu’s Teahouse, in Highland Park," Bloom said.

"That show was really my 'baby' and as the venue closed this past March, it was tough to see the show go away, " he said.

Bloom is a former board member and vice president of the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce who got his first job at Homer's Ice Cream in Wilmette and started his Highland Park company – now called ATI Creative Consulting – in the late 1990s while working at Kodak.

"Owning a business can be a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and down and even when you’re well established, sometimes generating business can be a struggle," he said. "Owning a business is not for everyone."

More information about Funnier by the Lake and ATI Creative Consulting