He's a newbie, but a goodie. Drew Champion joined ComedySportz this past summer. In between performing at CSz, going to school full-time and working at the BYU Library, he's also a budding filmmaker who's worked on such films as "The RM," "Church Ball" and the upcoming "American Fork" starring Billy Baldwin. He's currently in post-production on a short film he directed, but somehow found time to talk to us. Enjoy.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada and in Orem.
What was it like growing up in Canada?
It was different than growing up here. I was only eleven when my family moved to Utah. I remember Canada being more racially diverse. I had Asian friends, East Indian friends, Polish friends, and Jewish friends…I’m sure I had at least one friend who was Jewish. My best friend was Lutheran.
I was also the youngest kid in my grade. The cutoff date in Edmonton was a lot later than it is here. But then moving here I was one of the oldest because I took sixth grade twice. Not because I failed, but because the cutoff date was earlier. I could have graduated from high school a year earlier, but that would have been really hard. I didn’t really learn much in Canada anyway.
Tell us about how you got involved with ComedySportz.
My brother, Scott, has done ComedySportz for like, forever. I’d always go with my friends. It was fun. I thought about doing the workshops and then my brother said not to because he thought I wouldn’t enjoy it and that it would be too hard. Then, kind of putting two and two together, I realized he regarded ComedySportz as his thing, which I can understand.
I finished high school, went to college; I would still go to a show every once in a while. I remember seeing Matt Mattson, Randy Tayler, Brett Merritt, Maclain Nelson, Jake Suazo, Patrick Livingston and Patrick Maravilla. Those guys were funny. Oh yeah, and my brother. And Curt Doussett.
I got back from my mission in the summer of 2005 and worked on a movie with Curt. He said that I should do the workshops. I got married in December of ’05. I didn’t start the workshops until February of this year. I had a blast! I finished the beginning workshops, I went to a few of the intermediate workshops, and my first shows were in May of this year.
I remember being really nervous for my first show. My parents were in the audience and they said my face was completely white. I was really scared! I remember being exhausted by the first show. It was really run, though.
What kind of things do you find funny?
I like stuff that just seems natural. I’m not a big fan of watching stand-up comedy. It’s funny—Brian Regan’s my favorite—but I kind of life more thematically funny stuff, where it’s being played out, like The Office. The really funny things are the stuff that just happens.
I think it’s funny when people get scared. I startle people at work all the time. I don’t know why I get such a kick out of scaring people. People even do it to me, and I love it!
I LOVE watching America’s Funniest Home Videos. Total guilty pleasure. I miss Bob Saget. One of my favorite videos on YouTube is the Panda Sneezing.
I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada and in Orem.
What was it like growing up in Canada?
It was different than growing up here. I was only eleven when my family moved to Utah. I remember Canada being more racially diverse. I had Asian friends, East Indian friends, Polish friends, and Jewish friends…I’m sure I had at least one friend who was Jewish. My best friend was Lutheran.
I was also the youngest kid in my grade. The cutoff date in Edmonton was a lot later than it is here. But then moving here I was one of the oldest because I took sixth grade twice. Not because I failed, but because the cutoff date was earlier. I could have graduated from high school a year earlier, but that would have been really hard. I didn’t really learn much in Canada anyway.
Tell us about how you got involved with ComedySportz.
My brother, Scott, has done ComedySportz for like, forever. I’d always go with my friends. It was fun. I thought about doing the workshops and then my brother said not to because he thought I wouldn’t enjoy it and that it would be too hard. Then, kind of putting two and two together, I realized he regarded ComedySportz as his thing, which I can understand.
I finished high school, went to college; I would still go to a show every once in a while. I remember seeing Matt Mattson, Randy Tayler, Brett Merritt, Maclain Nelson, Jake Suazo, Patrick Livingston and Patrick Maravilla. Those guys were funny. Oh yeah, and my brother. And Curt Doussett.
I got back from my mission in the summer of 2005 and worked on a movie with Curt. He said that I should do the workshops. I got married in December of ’05. I didn’t start the workshops until February of this year. I had a blast! I finished the beginning workshops, I went to a few of the intermediate workshops, and my first shows were in May of this year.
I remember being really nervous for my first show. My parents were in the audience and they said my face was completely white. I was really scared! I remember being exhausted by the first show. It was really run, though.
What kind of things do you find funny?
I like stuff that just seems natural. I’m not a big fan of watching stand-up comedy. It’s funny—Brian Regan’s my favorite—but I kind of life more thematically funny stuff, where it’s being played out, like The Office. The really funny things are the stuff that just happens.
I think it’s funny when people get scared. I startle people at work all the time. I don’t know why I get such a kick out of scaring people. People even do it to me, and I love it!
I LOVE watching America’s Funniest Home Videos. Total guilty pleasure. I miss Bob Saget. One of my favorite videos on YouTube is the Panda Sneezing.
What's the one thing you've learned as a ComedySportz Player?
The less I TRY to be funny, the more funny I become.
