Kelsey Cook bets on herself with Netflix 'Happy Hour' that turns grief into joy

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Set us as preferred As a comedian, shooting your shot is a part of everyday life when it comes to moving your career forward.Comedian Kelsey Cook knows it all too well, both as a stand-up and a world champion foosball player.

While those two careers couldn’t be any more different, with the skill and determination it takes to do both it’s no wonder she’s been able to score big in multiple facets of life lately.In addition to getting engaged to her fiancé and fellow comedian Chad Daniels, she’s now celebrating the release of her third special — her first on Netflix — aptly titled “Happy Hour.” The title is about more than enjoying life and knocking one back after work, it’s also about how her life’s obstacles, from depression to the pain of dealing with her mother’s dementia, might knock her down from time to time.

But like her tabletop sport of choice, the true skill is knowing how to dust yourself off, rally and win.I really love the fact that the title of your special is “Happy Hour,” because I think for most comedians, just getting an hour on Netflix is a happy thing.Kelsey Cook: Yeah, I did kind of want it to be a double meaning.

I have a joke about happy hour and like not drinking anymore, but I also do feel like overall there’s a lot of joy in the hour and so I kind of like that it could be both.You did two things with this special that were really important — you financed it yourself and you also shot it in the Twin Cities, where you live currently.Why were both of those things so crucial for you? My previous two specials, they went up on YouTube and were, the first one was financed by a production group, 800 Pound Gorilla, and then the second one, we kind of went in on it together.

But both of them ultimately were shot in comedy clubs, went on YouTube, and were licensed to Hulu, but I k...