About
About Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and a corporate consultant with a Master of Accountancy — which is a fancy way of saying he knows how to find the missing dollar and the missing context. After years of navigating the breathtaking world of accounting, auditing, and regulatory compliance, he did what any rational adult would do: he walked into a dive bar and tried stand-up comedy.
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In July 2023, Sean put his name on a list at an open mic in Portland. There weren’t many people there, but the laughs were real — and so was the hook. What started as a curiosity quickly became a passionate addiction. Within months, he was filming weekly at Montavilla Station, interviewing comics, and capturing the raw, unfiltered energy of Portland’s open mic comedy scene. The result? A years-long documentary project called PDX Comedy Documentary, chronicling the rise, grind, and camaraderie of Pacific Northwest comedy. He's still working on his magnum opus but one day the world will see what he saw, and his bank account and reputation will be as empty as the room where he told his first joke on stage.
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Sean’s approach is part Rick Rubin, part pirate ship logistics officer. He believes failure is the best kind of feedback, and that laughter — especially the kind that unites a room full of strangers — is one of the most honest forms of art. He’s built camera rigs, launched a mic and comedy showcases in McMinnville, Newberg, and Carlton. He's funded the whole thing out-of-pocket much to his wife's chagrin, because when you believe in something, you don’t wait for permission — you grab a camera and start telling the story.
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He’s known for giving comics their 4k filmed sets for free, filming in low light with high hopes, and occasionally quoting accounting standards in green rooms. His favorite mic is the one that started it all for him - Montavilla Station Comedy Open Mic which is still going in its fourth year. His favorite joke is the one that bombs so hard it reminds you that you still have a lot to learn.
If you ask him what comedy and auditing have in common, he’ll say: “Both require timing, precision, and the ability to spot when someone’s bluffing, but only one makes you hate yourself."
From Cabana Club to Carlton: The Showcase Showdown Story
The Stand Up Comedy Showcase Showdown began the way most great things do — with a mic, a dream, and a bar that smelled like lost ambition and spilled beer. The Showcase launched originally with the humble Oregonion Open Mic and Showcase Showdown at the Cabana Club in McMinnville, where the lighting was questionable and the laughs were earned. It was raw, it was real, and it was the kind of place where comics learned to bomb with dignity and hard liquor.
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From those humble roots, Sean built a comedy circuit that now spans the Willamette Valley and almost breaks even. The Showcase Showdown has packed out venues like Raptor Ridge Winery, Ricochet Wine Co., and most recently the Carlton Winemakers Studio, where laughter pairs surprisingly well with Pinot Noir and poor choices. Each show features a rotating lineup of local and regional comics competing for the top set — judged by the audience, because democracy works best when wine is involved and there's no I.C.E.
The Instagram page @showcase_showdown_comedy, is a living scrapbook of the epic adventure that is comedy, triumphant punchlines, and the occasional flyer that looks like it was designed by someone who just discovered gradients. It’s also where you’ll find Sean promoting the next show, shouting out comics, and occasionally defending himself against locals who think he’s "not that funny", “too confident,” or “not from around here.”
To which Sean replies: “I may not be from here — but I am from somewhere and that's good enough.”
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together because as they say: "The show must go on."
