On April 3rd, the Houghton campus will welcome comedian and inspirational speaker Derrick Tennant. After losing the use of the left side of his body in an athletic injury, Tennant found how to overcome this hardship through his words. He refers to his optimistic attitude as “[looking] on the RIGHT side” of things.
Tennant debuted his comedic specialties at Houghton this past year at the fall 2013 homecoming SPOT. With the less than delicate references to the effects of his accident and his charismatic attitude on stage, Tennant’s act was well-received. Tennant referred back to this performance, saying, “it felt so good to be home at Houghton again.”
As an alumnus, Tennant described the Houghton campus as being “where it all started,” having provided the environment to foster his comedic gifts. He participated in various public performances during his time at Houghton, such as hosting SPOT.
Current Houghton senior Steve McCord, a communications major with a concentration in visual arts and media communication, played an integral role in bringing Tennant back to campus to perform. McCord first approached Tennant after fall SPOT, offering his creative marketing experience. After various conversations and a trip to Atlanta over this past spring break to film a promotional video, McCord created all the advertising and marketing for Tennant’s return to Houghton. McCord said that it is “easy to work with Derrick because he allows the expression of artistic freedom.”
The work of Tennant focuses on the opportunities that can become available even after hardship. Tennant said he loves to be able to impact and inspire others through his performances. His work also maintains a level of respectability, as cited on his website and through his formation of Bleep Free comedy.
Tennant comments that people seem to believe that if “you are Christian comedian, it means you aren’t funny.” He challenges this misconception through Bleep Free, which promotes acts that are family friendly and essentially clean from swearing as well as sexual references among other things.
In the past, Tennant had opportunities to work with corporations such as Chick-Fil-A in addition to performing at smaller or more private venues. Working in such a way has given Tennant flexibility to do what he enjoys. He said he is “blown away” by what a blessing it is to have a career that causes his injury to give him a unique edge and let him share a message.
Tennant will be arriving to campus on March 30th along with other comedian acquaintances. Tennant’s visit will conclude with “Comedy Night” which will take place April 3rd at 8 pm in the Dining Hall. This performance will be video recorded in order to be sold on campus as well as at other venues that Tennant attends.
In looking towards this event and its impact on Houghton’s future Tennant said that he would “love to get more involved on campus.” Although unsure what exactly this would entail, he added that he wanted to “encourage and motivate Houghton students to enjoy life.”