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Published on November 29th, 2015 | by StandUpTalk

Run The Light With Patrick Coppolino

In today’s edition of Run The Light we interview stand up comedian Patrick Coppolino.

Ari: Who are your favorite comedians?
Patrick: My favourite comedians are Louis CK, Bill Burr and Jim Jefferies.

Ari: What made you start doing comedy?
Patrick: While I was working on ‘The JR Digs Show’ (a Canadian latenight talk show), I expressed interest in performing to the host, JR Digs, and he put together a show with local comedians he knew to give me a chance to try it, almost as if to call my bluff. My first set was awful but I was hooked.

Ari: How long have you been doing it now and what has been the biggest change in your standup?
Patrick: I’ve been doing standup for 6 years now. The biggest change in my standup over my career would be going from writing quick ‘jokes’ to telling honest, mostly embarrassing stories about my life, which has been quite therapeutic for me.

Ari: You live in Canada but you have also traveled to the USA to perform, how would you compare the two?
Patrick: They are actually the same in many ways, but I’d say going to see live comedy is more ingrained in the culture of the USA opposed to Canada, partly because it’s just more available; more clubs, bigger names, etc. I’ve also noticed there’s more diversity in people’s taste in comedy from state-to-state than there is across Canada, so touring through both has made me a stronger, more ‘worldly’ comic.

Ari: Do you have plans to move to a larger market?
Patrick: I have a few things on the go that may decide how soon or not it happens, but I will eventually.

Ari: I see you also make films, which have you been more focused on lately, how have you incorporated film into your comedy?
Patrick: I’ve been far more focused on standup comedy lately, but I’ve incorporated film in my comedy career by having the skills to promote myself with videos, like my debut comedy special “Too Much Information” that I self-produced, directed & edited. It’s also what landed me the gig as Tom Green’s touring opening act, because I was also able to shoot & edit videos for his YouTube channel & various TV projects of his while on the road.

Ari: What has been your favorite accomplishment in entertainment?
Patrick: This is a hard one to answer. Each accomplishment has been great for me in their own right, but to name a few, being apart of Tom Green’s world tour for a couple years was a big one for me. Playing the legendary Massey Hall in Toronto this past NYE was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. And of course, shooting my first comedy special this year feels pretty great as well.

Ari: You just released a video where you pretended to be Louis C.K. getting punched on stage how did you decide to do this? Did you think it would get the attention it did?
Patrick: I was Louis CK for Halloween this year, but I got in ‘character’ a few days earlier. I posted a photo of my costume on Facebook, which someone shared on reddit & it ended up on the front page – I guess people were quite impressed with the likeness. So when I was hosting a Halloween themed show at Hamilton Yuk Yuk’s that same week, I was in character as Louis CK. The club has a brick wall, not unlike the one at NYC’s Comedy Cellar, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to pull a fun prank. We came up with the idea at the show, shot it in one tank & posted it. I thought it had potential to fool a few people but I didn’t expect it to explode the way it did.

Ari: What projects can we expect from you in the future?
Patrick: Well, my debut comedy special “Too Much Information” releases on November 11th this year. It can be purchased as a digital download for just $5 on my website. Besides that, I am working on some tour dates for the new year and a few film & TV pitches I hope to see developed in the next year.

Ari: Anything else you want to share with the world?
Patrick: Just keep supporting live comedy! Also, make a point of seeing some live comedy in Canada, because there are tons of undiscovered talent that don’t get the same opportunities to shine as those in America.

You can follow Patrick on his social media profiles and check out his new special at his website – PatrickCoppolino.com