Bumatai was born in Germany, spent much of his childhood in San Francisco, and didn’t come to Hawaii until he was 13, but he’s always been a local boy. After living in Kalihi for a year, Bumatai’s family moved to Waianae. He attended Waianae intermediate and high school, earning a name for himself as the class clown. He dropped out of high school in the 11th grade and started working odd jobs, from a dishwasher to a surfboard polisher. He became a successful salesman, and by his early 20s he saw that there were virtually no stand-up comics playing shows in local restaurants and clubs. He decided to fill that void, becoming one of Hawaii’s first stand-up comedians.