Issue date: 7/17/07 Section: Urbanite

"Draw from what you live, draw from what you know"

These words are what Debi Gutierrez lives by in her day-to-day routine. From parent to actor to talk show host to comedian, Gutierrez knows how to take reality and make it funny. The "Mommy Comic" as she is frequently called by supporters and admirers, she obtains her common name from a unique situation.

"The gang members started calling me that and it stuck," she laughingly recalled. "Here in Los Angeles, we have a big gang population and they would come to the comedy club and love to see me on stage." With a carefully crafted utilization of observational humor, experience and sincerity leaders, Gutierrez creates a comfort zone to where normal, ordinary people can relate to her. "When I am done talking, my kids look likes everybody else's kids," she explained. Her relationship with her family and husband (a former Marine) was definitely noticed when dealing with a heckler during a recent performance.

"The heckler wanted to get on stage and hit me. I told him a not scared of you, I have a man who could kill me in my sleep," she stated in her response back. As a result, she is a hit among military wives and soldiers. She reports her shows do well in cities near military bases. Being married for a long time with children, she never runs out of material and often times, her family helps her develop her routine. "I'm a very thankful they let me talk about their lives. My son is really smart and he will sit down and write jokes with me," she elaborated.

Gutierrez, a former schoolteacher considered the transition from teaching to stand up comedy performing very easy as they both had similarities. Both positions required talking to a crowd and capturing attention, she said. "I was really animated and had a lot of fun doing it. " Many other comic greats indicated support from family early on and even entertained the notion with participating in competitions while growing up.

Gutierrez states her family emphasized education and indicated it was a strong theme throughout the family. "Obviously, my parents wouldn't go for this," she reflected. "I studied all the greats, pictured them in my head and followed them. After 10 years of teaching, I decided to give it a try."


And that was only the beginning.

She would later go on to perform at comedy festivals such as Latino Laugh Festival in San Antonio and Just for Laughs Montreal. Of course, there were stand up gigs at various clubs in between the festivals and she even made her way on to television. Gutierrez guest starred on an episode of the former UPN sitcom "Malcolm and Eddie," Galavision's "Funny is Funny" and a host of many other shows. This talent would eventually yield to several pilot opportunities for her.

One pilot was made for NBC back in 2000 and the other was made for Lifetime television. None of the shows were selected to be on the neither primetime lineup nor midseason replacement status. Gutierrez did not let the situation get her down. "You learn something every time in this business," she said. "You learn a lot about yourself. I have friends who work for network television and they can come in one day to find out they are fired or cancelled with no notice."

However, Gutierrez did find steady work on television with her critically acclaimed show, "A Place of Our Own." The series airs on public television in both California and nationally.

It is devoted to the unique needs of people who care for children. It is produced in association with the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, and other family, educational programming. "I like the show that I am on," she proudly stated. "Being on PBS, it lets you have a chance to grow and allow for your audience to find you." She considers her show enjoyable yet informative.

The effort is not going unnoticed, as the series has won the Peabody Award and received two Emmy nominations. The series is true reflection of Gutierrez's strong family morals and values.

"We need to count on our families being strong and generous. Fathers need to go back to being strong," she exclaimed. "Children need to learn to work in parameters and follow rules."

The Gutierrez family values have yielded one almost college educated child and one is going to the college of their first choice. Gutierrez credits her strong management team for allowing her the flexibility to be a wife and mother while building her career. "If I am not living life, how can I write or talk about it," she asked. "You have got to live life to write about it and to speak it."

And live it she does. From up at four to be at work by six, making breakfast and lunch for the kids. She quickly adds that she has no nanny or housekeeper and it makes her like any other average mom and she has no problem with that.

Of course, the Urbanite has to inquire about her future plans for her career. One hope is to have show similar to Rosie O'Donnell where she is able to have fun and interview celebrities. Doing another sitcom is definitely an option if the opportunity presented itself. Most importantly, she wants to follow her passion and talking about the wives and mothers. "I would love to write about being a wife and a mother," she said. "I want to be continue to talk about family and build strong relationships.

"You can't keep me down, my family keeps me very busy."

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