Starting Out

This was one of my favourite episodes, as I had the incredibly hard-working comedian, producer and amazing dude, Jay Freeborn on the pod. Jay and I talk about the great job his parents did raising him, writing curriculum for substitute teachers in grade school that ensured he’d get to exert his comedy chops, being an artist of many mediums, and go into great detail, for the first time on this show, about the Humber Comedy program. I really loved catching up with Jay, and figuring out where the pandemic has left such a driven, focused comic. Sneak peak, it's in a really good place.  And we finish by gushing about his good friend and hopeful future guest on this show, Che Durena. Please check out Jay if you get the chance to see him, thanks again for listening and supporting. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week on Starting Out we have Toronto mainstay and all around great guy, comedian Dave Martin, where we discuss starting in the burgeoning Toronto scene in the 90s, where there was really only 1 club and barely any mics.  We talk about how the pandemic only slowed Dave down a little bit, as his lack of fear mirrors his general approach. I’ve always admired Dave's demeanor, his healthy relationship with standup, and I think it would serve a lot of comics well to adopt Dave’s attitude. Dave covers the character he did, Glue Guy, which got him quite a number of opportunities, and it’s a hysterical and interesting story. Dave drops some real nuggets of wisdom on starting, so if you’re new to standup pay attention. Thanks for listening, please continue to share and tell people about the pod. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week we have the legend of New Lowell, Arianna Pile on Starting Out. Arianna is an amazing comedian and show runner who produces shows with episode 30’s guest Marc Trinidad. You may recall Marc referring to his "white wife", well this is Arianna. We have an excellent conversation about saying “f#@$ it” and diving into standup, what it’s like being the only woman starting out in a new scene, and mining small town Ontario comedy. We cover ADHD, the tutelage of good comedians, and the drama of certain comedy scenes. I really liked talking to Arianna, and if you ever get a chance, go see one of her and Marc’s shows. Thank you to all who are listening, thanks to new listeners in Australia, Germany, and San Francisco!! Please continue to share the pod with anyone and everyone. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week on Starting Out it’s comedian, musician, and actor Jeremy Dobski. We talk about being immersed in the entertainment business at a young age by his maternal grandmother, who used her extensive talents to escape Russia in the second world war. Dobski is a self-described maniac, and he walks me through how his parents needed to reign that in somehow, so they pushed him into improv and acting at a young age. We talk about where we met, at The Corner Comedy Club where Jeremy and Joey Harlem would co-host a 3-hour long open mic every Monday, and that show’s impact on mental health. This episode is mostly about mental health, and I absolutely loved talking to Jeremy, and know you will enjoy too. Audio isn’t great, but there you go. You can support Jeremy’s podcast Flix with Dicks wherever you get pods, his band Defective Collective on Bandcamp, and give him a  follow on Instagram at @thealphadob. Thanks for listening. Please share with someone.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

There are moonshot guests, and then there are moonshot guests, and this week is a moonshot guest. Somehow, probably because of his immense generosity, Mike Wilner is on this week's episode of Starting Out. Mike was the longtime broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, hosting the postgame radio show Jays Talk for years, after being in the booth with legendary broadcasters Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth. Mike is now the baseball columnist for the Toronto Star, and host of his own podcast, Deep Left Field, which is released every Thursday. Mike was so great to talk to about dealing with fans, the emergence of Sabermetrics into the game and how it impacted fan interactions, and even spending some time on mental health. Please share the pod, tell a friend, and please support Mike in his new pod. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

Marshall Bureau is one of the most talented artists I know, and I know a lot of artists. We first met in grade 7, though our paths didn’t really cross until we became great friends and bandmates in Toronto in the mid-2000s. Marshal is a simply unbelievable drummer and musician, and we document his entire story, from being dissuaded from pursuing music by our music teacher Ms. Langevin, to stumbling upon a rock band’s jam and being asked to fill in on drums (which he didn’t really know how to play), to touring Europe 10 times as a drummer, teaching 100s of students, touring with the likes of Nick Zubeck, The Great Lake Swimmers, Jill Barber, and of course, Polyester Heart. We share what it was like being in a band together, having so many talented friends, and the fear of going out on your own and creating what you want. Please check out any of the artists mentioned above and treat yourself to listening to Marshall on drums. Music (at the start) by Devin Bateson, (throughout and ending) by Marshall. Thanks for listening, and please share the episode with someone. 

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week on Starting out is Bradford comedy legend Greg Enwright. Greg is someone I consider my comedy brother as we both had real jobs, both started standup in our late 30s, and both are sensitive men who worry too much and have a tendency towards self-doubt. We have an awesome conversation about what it was like growing up with a twin and an older brother, and how that started to shape Greg’s approach to comedy. We talk about not finishing high school, being told Accounting was too hard for him, and that motivating him to becoming an incredibly successful accountant, husband, and father. Finally, we go deep into Greg and I competing with each other in the Border City Comedy Fest, and how much Greg helped me produce one of the highlights of my comedy career, putting on the Easy Laughs at Hardknocks Boxing Gym.  Please share and tell someone about the pod. Music by Devin Bateson. 

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week’s guest on Starting Out is the incomparable comedian, actor, and writer, Phil Luzi. Phil got a lot of play in Episode 7 with Sandra Battaglini, as they met while Sandra was performing and Phil was in the audience for a Tony and Tina’s Wedding performance. It took Phil’s childhood friend Betty to need to pee to set a new course for Phil’s life in entertainment, one he is still pursuing today. Phil’s work ranges from everyone’s favourite disco-loving bartender, Alejandro in CBC Comedy’s Terrific Women, to the no-nonsense RCMP Captain in Netflix’s Crime Drama, Bad Blood starring Kim Coates. We talk Hamilton, coming out, being sensitive Italian males, confidence, and all kinds of stuff. I loved this talk and am honoured to call Phil a friend, and I hope you like it too. Please share, rate and review the pod, tell a friend, anything would help. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

My guest this week on Starting Out is Kev Sheeler’s contemporary, aka comedian Michael Moses. Moses is a fixture in the Hamilton and Toronto comedy scenes and he’s come up a lot in this podcast because of his drive and work ethic that is unmatched. Moses starts by talking about his ongoing Ex’s Benefits tour, finding comedy in college on YouTube which led to a stint in Vancouver where he did a total of 4 sets, back home to Alberta where he did zero sets, and finally a move to Hamilton where he did all the sets. Moses talks a lot about his competitive spirit and how it drives him to this day, and about grinding. If you respect people who grind at anything, you’ll love listening to Moses talk about it. Finally, we dissect what was introduced in Episode 14 by Mike Mitchell, the dreaded “Moses Laugh” which was an excellent analysis of bombing at an open mic. Thanks for listening, please share the pod with someone you think would like it, and thanks to those who already have. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...

This week was somewhat of a first in that I knew next to nothing about my guest, Josh Elijah. Save for a ringing endorsement by episode 19’s guest Monty Scott, Josh and I hadn’t met, which made it super cool of him to reach out and want to share his story. As you’ll hear, it’s a unique one in that Josh decided that to get into standup he’d better create, produce, and host his very own weekly show near York University. Josh walks us through his process on navigating this new world, but being in the driver’s seat, and I have to say he made almost entirely the right decisions. There’s a lot of Monty talk, and we geek out about other comedians we respect as we share a mutual self-doubt about never being the funniest person in the room. Please support Josh’s new podcast, Down By Two anywhere you get pods. Music by Devin Bateson.

Follow us @startingoutpod
Music by @debateson
All episodes here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1632913 

Thanks for listening. Especially you...