Started from the bottom, now Clayton English is NBC's 'Last Comic Standing'

? Looks like Clayton English will finally be able to pay off that whopping college loan debt.
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? The Atlanta comedian walked away with $250,000 last week after winning NBC's "Last Comic Standing" competition. Al Roker interviewed him on "Today," where he joked about all the odd jobs he's suffered through in the past. But that wasn't his first media exposure by far. Those who knew the rising talent way back when may recall when he was featured in a 2006 Creative Loafing cover story about former students struggling to pay back their exorbitant college loans. A 24-year-old graduate of Florida A&M University at the time, he was working a telemarketing gig to pay $78.53 of his monthly check toward the $28,000 he owed Uncle Sam. It was estimated at the time that it'd take another 40 years for him to pay it off.
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? In the cover story, "Their Cost to Bear," English appeared on the cover with the graphic of an oversized dollar sign hitched to his back. It was not a joke at the time, but in hindsight this is comedy gold ain't it:
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? English's come-up almost beats the time that kid Calvin graduated from flipping fries at McDonald's to a managerial position.  
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? In full disclosure, we should note that English's younger brother Brandon is a former photo intern and current freelancer for CL. We have not shamed him into following in his brother's CL cover model footsteps. Yet.
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? Here's English's appearance on "Today" celebrating his win.
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? And in contrast, here's the pertinent section of the ’06 cover story featuring Clayton English. It was penned by former CL news staff writer Alyssa Abkowitz:
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? ?? Clayton English writes a check to the federal government for $78.53 each month. That's his current payment for his college student loans, which total $28,000, not including interest. It's only going to stay that cheap for another month or two because he was able to wrangle with the feds and explain that his earnings couldn't cover a typical monthly payment. By the end of the year, the 6.8 percent interest rate will kick back in and his payment will jump up to at least $115 a month. At that rate, it will take him another 40 years to pay off his loans.
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? Two years ago, English wouldn't have imagined he'd be struggling to pay for his education. The tall, slim 24-year-old from Powder Springs majored in business administration at Florida A&M University and aimed to become an entrepreneur or nab a high-paying corporate position. But when he graduated he couldn't find a good job in marketing or advertising, so he settled for an $8-an-hour part-time gig at IKEA — about $280 a week without benefits — in the living rooms department. "Every check I get goes to paying for stuff I already have or stuff I did in the past," English says.
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? He lives with his parents to save money, but his monthly bills still total around $650. He pays for his cell phone, student loans, credit cards, car note and insurance. He went over the $2,500 limit on one of his credit cards and his monthly minimum payment is now $98 instead of the $60 minimum he paid before. And late in the summer, he got into a car accident and totaled his 2002 Mazda 626. He's looking for a new car, but is still paying off the $2,500 he owes on the wrecked one.
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? Sometimes he feels his generation isn't ready to face the real world. "We aren't as well-prepared," he says. "The older generations were shown how to be an adult. For us it's like, 'Do what you want to do and see what happens.'"
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? While English still would like to pursue marketing, his passion lies in comedy. He's performed stand-up for two years now, which brings in some extra cash, and he recently taped an episode for a show that aired on the Black Family Channel. Sometimes he feels college — and the vast amount of money he owes — might not have been worth it. "I didn't learn how to be funny at school," English says. "Part of me says I shouldn't have even gone."
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? He now earns $9 an hour plus commission as a telemarketer. It's better than working at IKEA, he says, but it still doesn't come close to helping him really make headway on his college loan and his $2,000 in credit card debt. "I'd like to point a finger and say nobody told me it was going to be like this," he says. "But I knew. I won't say it's messed up, but when I was in school I didn't think I'd really have to pay back the loans." ??
? It's nice to know he found a remedy for all that college debt by following his passions. College may not have made him funny, but with all that debt he got saddled with he probably had to laugh to keep from crying.
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? In other CL-related comedy news, another former CL photo assistant/freelancer Noah Gardenswartz, who has since relocated to New York where he's also a big-time comedian, made it the the semi-finals of this season's "Last Comic Standing." Guess we're just a regular launching pad around here.
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? NOTE: This post has been altered to correct an error. The CL cover story featuring English was published in 2006. Additional reporting by CL photo editor Joeff Davis.
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