A pivot to comedy
Colleen Landry went from English teacher to VIRAL Internet comedian!
Hello, my midlife darlings! How are things? Calmed down after the New Year? Finally decrud (a form of decrapping) your home? Me too. It’s cold here in the Northeast, but the days are noticeably longer which makes me optimistic. Despite the 20 degree temperature, and my skin’s parchment-like texture, the sun is out! And there is snow coming! That means skiing and to me, that means fun.
We go to a ski area called Cannon in Franconia, NH. When one thinks of Cannon, one thinks: “gray”. Or, “really cold”. Or, “dangerously steep and icy.” And as of this week, one thinks, “will I make it up the mountain on this chairlift? Or will I get lowered down 60 feet on a rope after sitting on a piece of aluminum for a few hours?” Sounds like a good time! Definitely with the $180.00! And yet…it is. Getting outside in frigid temps allows one to justify a lot of Aprés Ski cheese, pepperoni and crackers, and a serious snort of a cocktail. You earned it!
Lately, I have been enjoying cross country skiing more than downhill (read notes above) and when in the White Mountains, that’s what we do daily. You do not need a lot of snow for cross country. It’s more exercise than downhill, no lifts to freeze on for the twenty minute ride up, no one to run over you on the slope, it’s cheaper (free), and the chances of breaking my pelvis are near zero. If you can walk, you can cross country. Do like my grandparents did and bring along a bota bag full of wine and a picnic, as shown above! (Question: How did that generation seem to function and drink non-stop starting at noon?).
Do you drink wine and ski? If yes, are there trees where you go?
MAVEN OF THE WEEK: COLLEEN LANDRY!
I adore sarcasm with a dollop of delusion and that's how the character came to be.
If you haven’t already found her yourself, I am excited to introduce you to Colleen Landry, midlife Canadian comedienne! The clip above announces her reaching 400,000 followers on Instagram!
Colleen has pivoted in midlife in a major way from being an English teacher in New Brunswick, Canada to a comedic Internet sensation worldwide! In less than a year she went from zero to over 300,000 followers on Instagram and is now at 400,000 and growing daily. But, it wasn’t as easy as that, and she did almost throw in the towel. There is over a decade of humor writing, a stand up stint, among other endeavors, behind her current meteroric star-rise. That’s a relief for me, I mean, honestly.
Next week listen/watch our interview where she discusses her journey.
Colleen’s Comedy
She hits on extremely relatable topics with her character that is Erma Bombeck reanimated. It is a character she’s playing, lest we forget. She delivers her knockout funny lines with a droll cadence and at the very end, after a beat she shifts her nose with a sniff and elevates the funny to infinity.
The sniff gesture reminds me of the male characters of yore who were unknowingly the clown, with an oversupply of confidence and cluelessness. Perhaps they snapped their own suspenders. Kind of like an “I’ll be the judge of that!” But they have no basis to do so. She is blissfully sarcastic and we are in on the joke.
I dug back to her early skits on Instagram to see her evolution. Here is one where she touches on a character that will be a swinging success later, her husband. She hasn’t developed the sniff yet and at the end when she says “I feel like a princess” waits a beat or two and whispers “no I don’t.” This is where the sniff has come in now. It implies “no I don’t” without saying it and that is funnier. It’s fascinating.
Above is the very first skit of Colleen’s I saw, “Mamogram was a total blast,” it killed me. I follow a lot of comedians, many are male, and to see a familiar female topic treated comedically is a fresh idea to me. Her work is not vulgar or rude which is also new and refreshing.
Colleen has a number of mundane topics that she turns into comedy magic. The husband (unseen except for his “installations” -mess left behind), whom she refers to as her “Inferior Designer” and her two grown sons, his “apprentice inferior designers” are frequent unseen but referred to visitors.
She does fantasy phone calls to her adult sons about topics like surviving an astroid assault. And then there are all the other types of scenarios that play out for every woman every day like a mammogram, the price of a haircut, dry January, charcuterie boards, manifesting and more. It’s the little things in life that are so utterly absurd that she pokes fun at with a straight face and a sniff.
In Colleen’s case, the sniff says, “yup, that’s my lot.” “The mammogram today was like going to a spa, I felt like a princess and are you sure we can’t do this more often?”…..sniff.
Questions for Colleen? Come to the Comments!
My Questions for Colleen
Please tell me about your relationship to comedy.
Were you always funny?
When did you let your funny fly as an adult?
And how did you come up with your character on TikTok/Insta?
I was always the kid in class trying to make everyone laugh and I still make it my life's work! Being funny has been part of my identity forever but I thought of myself as a humor writer rather than a comedian.
During the pandemic however, I dipped my toe in the internet water and posted funny videos about how to style and accessorize pajamas since no one was leaving the house. I got a positive response and I guess that gave me some confidence. For the next couple of years, I sporadically went on Instagram and TikTok posting funny videos to a mainly non-existent audience. Out of nowhere, in April one of them took off and I've been posting ever since. I didn't intentionally create a character on Instagram/TikTok--I adore sarcasm with a dollop of delusion and that's how the character came to be.
You retired from full time teaching in June and started your TikTok in April just before (I think?). Please share how you prepared for your first post.
When/how did the TikTok Colleen Landry comedy take off? Was it a viral connection to someone?(that sounds all wrong)
When did you get an agent? What prompted that or did they seek out you?
I retired from teaching in June and leading up to it, I was searching for a hobby to fill my time. I started posting daily videos around February and was getting very little attention/traction. I told myself I'd stick with it and post a video/day for a few months, regardless of the outcome.
One morning in April (when I was about to quit due to aforementioned lack of attention and traction...), I came downstairs and saw a baseball cap, a single sock and a guitar string on the coffee table in our TV room (our younger son was home visiting so it was a combination of his and my husband's stunning instalment--a real team effort if you will). I was mildly annoyed and about to tidy things up when for some reason, I decided to make a video off the cuff...thinking no one would see it. I gave it ZERO thought. I just commented on how beautiful it was and how the sock added texture and grounded the space, etc.
Then I heard my phone dinging like crazy--an unfamiliar sound since most of my videos disappeared into the ether. People were liking it! It was a sound more beautiful than a newborn's cry. Haha. Then I kept going with that concept and getting more and more followers. Before I knew it, a (very funny) community emerged and they've come to feel like real friends. People were commenting on my videos and with each other. It was and still is amazingly fun! A couple of months later, a talent agency reached out (based on my engaged followers) to represent me and I've been with them ever since. Thank you, loyal and funny followers from the bottom of my heart!!
How has your family reacted? Does your husband mind that you work non stop now? Do you work non stop now?
My family (husband and two grown sons) are on board with me looking ridiculous on social media and seem to be getting a kick out of it. My inferior designer is a good sport and is fine with me poking fun at him. The thing is, he's really not a slob--he just leaves things lying around for more than twenty seconds...which is unacceptable. haha! Hmmm, I can't say it takes up all my time because I'm getting more and more comfortable making the videos so I'm doing fewer takes. I try to keep it as natural and unrehearsed as possible.
You told me that you have tried standup a dozen times in recent years. Standup is a lot harder than a short clip. Was that appealing or terrifying? Why?
I took a stand-up comedy workshop a few years ago which culminated in a live show--it was a very cool experience and I thought I'd be on SNL by the following Saturday. Ahem, that didn't happen.
I tried stand-up several times over the next few years and though it can be a total rush when you get a laugh (I didn't always....), it's a lot of work and can be terrifying. I'd say it's equal parts terrifying and appealing. I may give it another shot one of these days but I have to say the videos are much easier and every bit as rewarding. I get soooo much pleasure from reading the supportive and hilarious comments, you have no idea.
Special Note
I was trolling around looking at Colleen-isms and lo and behold I discovered her blog from 2017, One Hot-Flashin' Mama: A forty-something writer looks for the funny in mid-life. No kidding…it’s hilarious.
NEXT WEEK!
My Podcast/Vlog with Colleen…we have some great laughs and talk about lots of weird stuff….also includes the 5 Maven questions!!
xo
K
OMFG... I LOVE her!!! Great, GREAT post!
We must cross post, Kim! Colleen will be a FUnny AF WOman! 🥰
Fab interview!