Laughter and healing: How Full Blood Productions is uniting Oklahoma one show at a time

Written By: Russell Sun Eagle

(TULSA, Okla.) When heartbreak and exhaustion collided back in 2009, Justin McLemore never imagined an impulsive idea that came to him after three sleepless nights would still be growing 16 years later.

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McLemore was working overnight shifts at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, coping with the end of a marriage.  One early morning after finishing another long shift at work, he drove to Muskogee and made himself a black hoodie that read “Full Blood.” 

It wasn’t meant to start a business. It was a reminder to keep going.

“I was hurting,” McLemore said. “But that hoodie made me feel proud again. It reminded me I was still here, still full blood, still fighting.”

That spark turned into Full Blood Clothing LLC, then grew into something even bigger: Full Blood Productions, a Native-owned entertainment company blending fashion, film, and stand-up comedy.

Today, the name that started on a hoodie has become a statewide movement of laughter and community connection.

McLemore said the phrase “Full Blood” was never just about heritage; it was about commitment.

“Full means you’re fully devoted to something positive,” McLemore said. “Your family, your work, your recovery, your dream. Blood represents the sweat and tears it takes to get there. Anybody can wear it.” 

Over the years, Full Blood has appeared everywhere from powwows to wrestling shows, from Cherokee Nation events to statewide festivals. The brand has sponsored MMA fighters, musicians, and traditional artists - all carrying the same message of perseverance.

After COVID-19 halted events and sales, McLemore searched for a new way to bring people together. The answer came in the form of stand-up comedy.

“The world felt heavy,” McLemore said. “People needed to laugh again.”

So, in 2023, McLemore launched Rezzy Jams Comedy under the Full Blood Productions banner. The first show, The Quah Laughs, took place in Tahlequah and drew a crowd of more than 250 people. It featured a lineup of Native comedians, including Jordan Jayi, Rachel Rose, Will Buck and Brent Deo.

The laughter didn’t stop there. Rezzy Jams has since expanded across the state, hosting shows in Ada, Tulsa, Glenpool, Okmulgee, and Kansas that mix humor with community service and charity. “It’s not about making money,” McLemore said. “It’s about giving back and creating joy in our communities.”

One of the brightest voices to come out of the Rezzy Jams stage is Jordan Jayi, a comedian from Cromwell, Oklahoma, who’s been part of every Full Blood comedy show since the beginning.

Jayi’s path to the stage started in 2020 during the pandemic. Her high school basketball coach, Carol Johnson, called her unexpectedly one day and told her she should try stand-up comedy.

“She just said it straight up! You need to do comedy,’” Jayi recalled. “At first I laughed, but then I thought, maybe she’s right.”

Jayi started performing over Zoom, testing jokes in front of an online audience. Her first live performance came a year later at a burlesque show, a night she describes as “sexy and funny at the same time.” Since then, she’s been performing across Oklahoma with Full Blood Productions.

“Oklahoma crowds get our humor,” Jayi said. “They understand our families, our rez stories, our slang. It's special performing for people who truly get it.”

For Jayi, laughter has always been healing. Raised between Eufaula Boarding School and Sequoyah High School, she grew up surrounded by humor, even in hard times.

“Native people have this strength where we can laugh through pain,” she said. “Humor is how we survive. It’s how we remind ourselves that we are still here.”

That message has become a staple of the Rezzy Jams showcases. Each event blends humor with hope, proving that laughter can be both art and medicine.

As Full Blood Productions continues to expand its comedy circuit, McLemore has already launched the Elks Lodge Tour. The tour, which runs through 2026, will bring stand-up comedy to communities across Oklahoma, with each stop hosted by local Elks Lodge establishments.

The Elks Lodge tour kicked off on Oct. 4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. With a packed audience, positive reviews, and fans already asking for more, the Elks Lodge Comedy Tour is quickly gaining traction among followers of Full Blood Productions and Rezzy Jams Comedy.

McLemore has also been preparing for a new chapter with another Indigenous-focused initiative, the Black Fox Premiere, a Native film showcase that debuted Oct. 19 at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema. The event featured films by Oklahoma filmmakers, including The Legend of Rudy Mill, directed by Whitebird Robertson; Ultraviolet, directed by Justin Jayne; Siren of the Wood, directed by Christopher Coursey; and Rez Cops, directed by Will Buck, Cedric Sweet and Eric Yahola. 

“There’s so much Native talent out there,” McLemore said. “We want to create a platform where they can be seen and celebrated.”

Following the premiere, Full Blood Productions will continue its comedy series on Nov. 7 (at the College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee at 7 pm) and Nov. 8 (at the Renaissance Square Event Center at 7:30 pm). The shows are headlined by comedian Marc Yaffee and will feature comedians Jayi and Deo. The Nov. 8 show will also feature Katy Style.

What began as one man’s moment of grief has evolved into a cultural movement, one that celebrates Native creativity, unity and joy.

“We’ve all been through pain,” McLemore said. “But laughter brings us back together. That’s what Full Blood is all about. Healing, pride and connection.”

For Jayi, the mission goes even deeper.

“I want to make people laugh, but I also want to tell stories that help people heal,” she said. “One day, I’m going to write a show about our people, and I already know it’s going to happen.”

In her time on stage, audiences find courage. In her words, they find home. And in every show, Jordan Jayi carries the same message that helped start this movement: Be proud, be bold, and live full blood.