Meet Andrew Searles of Los Angeles, California

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Searles.

Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a stand-up comedian and actor. I’m originally from Montreal, Canada but been living and working in Los Angeles since 2016.
I’ve been working as a comedian and actor since 2002, and I’ve been featured at the Burbank Comedy Festival, the Calgary Folk Festival, and the Natal Day Comedy Gala in Halifax.
I’m also the co-creator of The Underground Comedy Railroad, Canada’s only all black Canadian comedy tour.
I also have a comedy special on Canada’s iChannel, and two comedy albums available on all the streaming services.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s been ups and downs, just like any other profession.
The first couple of years is spent finding your voice. Writing, rewriting, going up on stage, bombing, re-writing again til you find your identity, til you find your angle, your voice, and how you want to perform on stage.
Once I found that, then my next goal was shifting from an open-micer, to establishing yourself as a reliable comic. Getting on bigger, better shows. Becoming a middler (feature), to hosting, to co-headlining and eventually headlining. It’s tough but you eventually work your way through them.

But the longer I did it, the tougher it unfortunately came to be. As a comedian & actor in Montreal, it’s great but not easy.
The festival (Just for Laughs) for a good number of years wasn’t interested in showcasing local talent, and if they did, it was often comics who were friends with the Booker who had already done the fest 15, 16 times already. Absolutely no love for the comics who’ve yet to do it. The ones that deserve a break in their career. When they finally did start showcasing unknown local talent again, we’d get an unadvertised show in a small dinky room away from all the major JFL shows, or a daytime outdoor show in-front of the big JFL venue, while the comedians inside are filming their TV or Gala showcases. The festival was only interested (and still is) in showcasing comedians from Toronto, American comics, European comics, everywhere else except local homegrown talent. So it was tough trying to make a name for yourself on the domestic market.

Canada has a glass ceiling, and you can only accomplish so much before you hit that ceiling. I co-created the Underground Comedy Railroad as a way to showcase Black Comedians in Canada, and that’s been running every year since 2012. We funded the tour out of our own pockets, flew from East Coast to West coast, doing multiple shows in multiple cities. We got a lot of press for the tour, and you’d think it would be beneficial for us. That the industry would say “You put on that? By yourselves?? Let’s talk” but it didn’t. The Canadian industry never reached out to us. It opened up ZERO opportunities for us.
But we kept doing it, because we were doing it for ourselves. Showcasing ourselves. Making opportunities for ourselves.

At one point, I felt I was ready to headline. So I created my own opportunity. I rented a theater in Montreal and headlined myself, sold-out 5 shows in 2013, was offered to headline one of the comedy clubs in Montreal, to which again in 2015 & 2016, I headlined and sold-out 5 shows. Again, not a peep from the industry or the festival.
Meanwhile, comics who weren’t headlining, weren’t regulars at the clubs, barely doing comedy, were getting opportunities at Just for Laughs, other festivals, or the even the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Acting wise was the same glass ceiling.
I’d go in for an audition, and constantly lost out on roles to actors who were never in the audition process with us. It always went to an American actor, or a Toronto actor.
One time I was in the audition room, and it was 2 other actors and I in the audition room. The casting assistant said “It’s just down to the 3 of you”.
The 2 other actors and I all smiled, shook hands, and wished each other luck because it was 33% chance one of us was taking it, and in the end, none of us booked it. The role went to a New York actor instead.

So between the lack of opportunities in Canadian Comedy, and the false hopes of actually booking roles in the Montreal acting scene, I felt I hit the glass ceiling before my career even started, and felt the only way to surpass the ceiling was to leave Canada entirely.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m very, VERY high energy when performing, and I enjoy owning the stage.
If I have a stage, I’m gonna walk up and down every inch of that stage. I like having lots of energy on stage simply because…
a) That’s just who I am
b) It sets me apart from other acts who are more monotone, or fixated to a certain place on stage hiding behind the microphone.

I’ve had audience members approach me, telling me that I not even bother going to the gym because I get all my workout done on stage. Which, is kinda true!

As for my material, I talk a lot about personal experiences: What’s it like being the single guy when all your friends are getting married? What’s it like growing up in Caribbean Household? What’s it like being a Black Canadian growing up in Canada? What’s it like being a Black Canadian now living in Los Angeles?
Bringing in a different perspective than most of my fellow American colleagues.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I have 2 Comedy Albums available on all the streaming websites.
“Papa Chocolat!” & “Worth It!” which are my first and second albums, respectively.

Also, find me on all the socials: Andrew Searles!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.AndrewSearles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_searles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrewsearles
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-searles/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/andrewsearles
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/andrewsearles/videos
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/andrewsearles

Image Credits
Nick Wuthrich
Francis Ward
Reese Turner