This week, I’m joined by Denver comedian and producer Christina Vasili (@heystinahey), host of Death Comedy Jam at The Brutal Poodle. We talk about starting stand-up later than planned, navigating rooms full of dude comedians, and the quiet labor of recalibrating a space while hosting. Christina opens up about grief, losing her dad, gym community, and the struggle and reward of continuing to show up.

Also: gut health, poop shaped like letters, and the long art of punching a joke up until it refuses to stop getting laughs.

This week, we’re joined by comedian Kelly Zemnickis, fresh off the release of her new Comedy Dynamics album Lady Comic and her documentary short Making Connections, about telling jokes during a pandemic. Kelly is a sharp storyteller with a deceptively polite delivery, the kind where the joke sneaks up on you and then ruins balloons forever.

We talk about punch-ups as a supportive art form, finding your comedic voice without forcing authenticity, and what it’s like navigating comedy scenes between Toronto, Montreal, and New York. Plus: why balloons are a logistical nightmare, an emotional liability, and possibly damned to hell. Kelly also shares her favorite advice for doing scary new things, and why writing things down might save your life (or at least your set).

Bio:a

Kelly Zemnickis is a Toronto-based comedian and podcaster who has tattoos and likes to bake banana bread. She has been featured on CBC Radio's LOL and has graced stages from Kamloops to New York City. She made her Stratford Festival debut in 2024 as part of their Funny Forum Friday series, and has opened for such headliners as Brian Kiley and Michael Harrison. Kelly is also an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and her sophomore comedy album Lady Comic (Comedy Dynamics) is available now wherever you get your quality comedy!

Find Kelly on YouTube and follow her on Instagram and Threads @TheLatvianFoodie.

For our Season 3 Premier, I got to interview rising star and Chicago icon Rey Tang! We talked about touring the South as a trans comic, how satire is evolving in our current political climate, and punched up a really fun joke about lesbian love.

Rey Tang is a Chicago-based writer, stand up, and performer. She believes that, through an intersectional understanding of media, she can one day achieve her dream of writing for television.

https://www.instagram.com/reytangerine/?hl=en