SUCCESSFUL ‘XPERIMENT’

Las Vegas comedian Mike P stars on a new BET series and makes a bit of history in the process.

BY KIMBERLY BAILEY-TUREAUD

Known to audiences as Mike P, Las Vegas comedian Michael Perry has taken his career to another level as host of the BET late-night show “The Xperiment.”

This launch to the national stage came in a whirlwind that blew in Mike P’s favor. “I was contacted by my agent from Los Angeles, who said that I needed to attend a BET audition for a new show within 24 hours,” he said. “I took the next flight out of Las Vegas to Hollywood, and had to compete against 75 other comedians who came from all over the country. It was really great to have gotten the call that I was selected to host ‘The Xperiment.’ The show is a late-night show on BET where we do sketch comedy and talk about the national headlines from a comedic perspective. We also give commentary on the latest videos. Our goal is to make you laugh each night.”

Now working alongside co-host and fellow comic Amberia Allen, Mike P has the chops to do just that. Originally from Pasadena, Calif., he came to Las Vegas in 1997 on a UNLV football scholarship. Since then, he has grown into one of Las Vegas’ premier local celebrity comedians and radio hosts. He can be heard each weekend on KVEG (97.5) FM, and acknowledges that the work he has done to this point in career has made him well-prepared for the national spotlight.

“I attribute the work I have been doing on my own video blog, called ‘The Mike P Music Review’ on thisis50.com each day for the last 18 months for preparing me for what I am doing on my new BET show,” he said. “I had already completed 100 episodes. The only thing that I wasn’t prepared for, and had to learn, were the certain [nuances] of television. I also have my own Las Vegas production company, called Mike P’s Studios.”

With his newest accomplishment, Mike P has made the Las Vegas history books: he is the first African-American performer from Las Vegas to host a national television show.

“I really don’t say too much about it. It doesn’t really affect me like it might have affected someone else,” he insists. “It is still just a job, and my main focus is my children and my family. I think the biggest thing that I am proud of is that it sends a message to other children growing up in low-income housing like I did, that they truly can achieve their dreams. Nonetheless, it is a hell of a feeling to host ‘The Xperiment’ on BET, because not too many people can say they have their own show. For me it solidifies where I am with my talent.”