Meet Andy Van

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Van.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I actually started doing local theater in San Diego while in grad school. I’m originally from the Bay Area but moved to San Diego because I read somewhere once that they had a strong local theater presence.

While doing sketch comedy, I also did one or two open mics for stand up. I’m not sure why, but even though I got some laughs, it didn’t really stick.

After I graduated, I moved to LA to try my hand at theater and sketch comedy up here. I enrolled in The Groundlings School, which wouldn’t have been financially possible without their Diversity Program. I mean, to this day, I don’t think I can name more than two other Vietnamese students, so it was nice to represent people like me. I also was able to do bad Vietnamese accents whenever I felt like it, so that was cathartic.

In my first Groundlings class, I met someone who also did stand-up comedy. She asked me if I did any stand-up, and I said yes (not a complete lie), and she put me on one of her shows. Her name is Kiki Yeung, and she’s an amazing show producer who prioritizes putting funny Asian Americans in the limelight, something I never really found outside of LA.

Anyway, after that show, I felt like something really clicked so I kept doing stand-up. My last show was at the Ice House Main stage the week right before the quarantine started, for PK’s Sticky Rice Comedy. I had lots of plans to do comedy all over the West Coast this summer, but plans go awry all the time. I’ve made peace with growing a beard and getting fat. These are now my only two personality traits.

Has it been a smooth road?
Currently, this coronavirus is the biggest hurdle I’ve faced. I’ve spent months not even touching a mic. I haven’t done anything stupid like buy plants or make bread or anything.

The hardest part is that stand-up is absolutely like a muscle or muscle group. You have to keep working out, and without the discipline of the gym or workout regimen, you’re gonna get weak. This is especially true for inexperienced comics like myself. So I spend lots of my day working on the writing side of it, but can’t get the physical feedback I need to improve in the way I want to.

The other difficult thing about comedy is that a lot of getting stage time is based on networking and luck. I’ve been extremely lucky to have met some really cool people who have put me on stage, but it won’t be years until I’m able to really know everyone in the scene and on the road. If I want to work out my jokes in a different city, it’s just going to take time. Time is probably the most important thing this virus is taking away from us. Other than, you know, lives.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a stand-up comedian, writer and sometimes actor. I love acting, but comedy is honestly where I feel most at home. Writing is always there for me, and it’s definitely where my passions originate. I don’t really know where I stand out, except my mom says I’m too fat to be famous, so I’m working on that right now.

Honestly, I hate to be that guy, but the best way to keep abreast of my latest projects is to follow me on Instagram.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I haven’t lived in New York, but it’s hard to imagine a better place than Los Angeles to flex your creativity. I don’t mean strictly stand-up, but rather, finding other creatives who are exploring their respective art in a similar way. I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend starting out here in LA. It depends on the person. I had very little experience before moving here, but I could not have improved the way I did in the last couple of years of living here if I had not moved.

In short, LA is the place to be. There’s opportunities for people of all stages in their respective fields, but the better you are when you get here, the easier you’re gonna find it to meet people. Just don’t be an asshole, which I suppose is easier said than done.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @AndyVanAndyVan
• Twitter: @AndyVanAndyVan

Image Credit:
Adam Johns

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