Meet Connor Malbeuf

Today we’d like to introduce you to Connor Malbeuf.

Connor, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve interviewed everyone from Lil Yachty to the Prime Minister of Canada to Oscar winners, but still feel like I’m just getting started. Maybe that’s because I am focusing on my comedy and stand-up career more than I have in the past. Stand-up excites me more than anything I’ve done before.

Growing up, I remember watching online clips of Joan Rivers on “The Tonight Show” and telling myself, “That’s what I want to do.” Her grit and disregard for what people thought of her inspired me. She was also just f**king hilarious.

When I went to university in Toronto, I joined the campus TV station. That’s where it all started. I got to interview people on the street and ask them ridiculous, unfiltered questions. I thought, “I like this. How can I make a living out of this?.” I had the crazy opportunity to interview every celebrity that came through town, cover music festivals all around North America, and even have a live talk show. I was living my damn dream. At 19. Not many people can say that. When I graduated from university, I had to start from scratch and begin to build up my own portfolio. That’s when it became hard.

Anyone in the Canadian media industry can attest to the limited job opportunities and growth, so I knew I had to do something drastic, exciting and slightly insane: Move to Trumpland (ugh). I would have been much more comfortable moving to the U.S. if Hillary was president, but alas, Florida let us down…again. I packed my bags, moved to Boston for five months for an accelerated Masters program before landing in Los Angeles. I went from working on a YouTube channel with over a million views to nothing; It’s not easy starting from scratch, but this Canadian kid loves a challenge. So, here we are.

Now, seven months into my LA journey, I’m so glad I’m here. I headlined my first ever sold-out comedy show last month and am actively booking more gigs for this summer. But I have so much more to do.

Great, 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?
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered is simply being a Canadian in America. Americans forget that Canadians are immigrants, too. Just because we share the same border doesn’t give me the same working rights as Americans, sadly. The visa process is no joke.

I would say it’s incredibly difficult to break through all the noise in LA, too. There are a lot of gay comedians and content creators in this city, so differentiation is key. I try to stay in my own lane. I had lunch with a mentor of mine, and she said, “If race horses look to the left or the right, they fall. Keep looking straight ahead.” Those are really good words to live by.

I’m just trying as hard as I can to create as much as possible and make people laugh. Being a newbie in the comedy scene is tough because it’s hard to get bookings and taken seriously. I’m just continuously trying to break down doors and get where I need to be.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a Canadian comedian who wants to take Jimmy Fallon’s job when he retires. I’ll report back in ten years.

My comedy is storytime based using real experiences that have actually happened in my life. I include elements of gay culture and my experience as a Canadian in America. I’d say my comedy is self-deprecating, relatable and lighthearted. Sometimes I get political when necessary. I can make jokes about American politics and both sides of the spectrum because I’m Canadian and have no voting rights. No one is safe at one of my comedy shows. I’m also adamant about including the audience in my conversations. It makes things way more fun. Why does comedy have to follow the same old school rules?

In terms of my online videos, I would say I get compared to ‘Billy On The Street’ a lot, but I’d like to think I’m a bit nicer.  I just love talking to strangers and learning about their lives. It’s a riot.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I did a parody of VOGUE’s “73 Questions” where I played the singer Shawn Mendes. Despite the video being pulled together in 24 hours, it got over 30,000 views in a few weeks. The video was pulled together in 24 hours. My friend had this beautiful house in the hills that we could use for 2 hours (talk about a short window to film something). I also had to write and memorize an entire 10-page script in a few hours. The video was filmed by my two good friends which makes everything more enjoyable. The experience also made me realize how much fun it is to play someone other than yourself. I’ll definitely do more parodies in the future.

 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.connormalbeuf.com
• Phone: 4166162160
• Email: connor.malbeuf@gmail.com
• Instagram: @ConnorMalbeuf
• Twitter: @ConnorMMalbeuf
• Other: www.youtube.com/connormalbeuf

Image Credit:
Alex Lam and Ryley Dawson.

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