Barak Lesner moved to Columbus with three outfits in a garbage bag. Today he co-runs The Attic Comedy Club, has five kids and a mortgage, and a blunt message for anyone starting out: you suck — and that's exactly the point.

In this episode of First Mic, Barak takes Ira back to his real first set in 2013 — a two-minute open mic in Gainesville, Florida, on his 25th birthday, the same night Ray Allen hit that shot for the Heat. He talks growing up poor in a Spanish-speaking household in NYC, the culture shock of Milwaukee, and how a dare from Terrance "the God Show" ("show up or I'm telling everyone you're a pussy") finally pushed him onto a Columbus stage.

From there it's the real stuff: why the version of you five years from now should look back and cringe, the unglamorous power of running the same joke 89 times, his genuinely unpopular take on using AI as a creative partner, and the Michael Jackson impersonator who changed how he thinks about talent vs. opportunity.

Plus: how he and Neff Johnson rebuilt the Wednesday open mic at The Attic, the right way to handle a heckler, and why he's still mad at Threads.

💬 What's the best — or worst — advice you ever got when you were starting something new? Drop it below.

🎙️ Follow Barak Lesner: Instagram: @barackfromtheblock (he said "Barack From The Block" — verify exact handle) The Attic Comedy Club: theatticcomedy.com

🔗 First Mic is part of the Indie Comedy Collective: YouTube: youtube.com/@IndieComedyCollective Instagram: @indiecomedycollective

📍 Filmed at Rehab Tavern, Columbus OH