Debra DiGiovanni isn’t one to brag.
But the well-known Canadian comedian does every once in a while and allows herself a well-deserved pat on the back.
“There’s that moment of ‘wow,’” the 38-year-old says when looking at how her career in comedy has taken off.
It was just 10 short years ago DiGiovanni, one of the featured performers for this week’s Halifax ComedyFest 2010, was — as she puts it in her popular sarcastic tone — “working a job, hating my life and not knowing what to do.”
The Windsor, Ont. native always thought about a career in comedy, but admits she “was too scared” about doing standup.
Finally, DiGiovanni decided to put her fears aside and go for it. She quit her job, enrolled in the one-year Comedy, Writing and Performance program at Humber College in Ontario and has been laughing all the way to the bank ever since.
“I feel lucky. The stars aligned for me,” she says in an interview with Metro last week. “It was a large portion of luck and timing.”
Now, DiGiovanni headlines standup shows across the country, was named best female comedian at the 2009 Canadian Comedy Awards and is a TV star to boot. She was a top-10 finalist on the NBC hit series Last Comic Standing in 2007 and remains a mainstay on MuchMusic’s hit show Video On Trial.
“It’s a huge portion of why I am where I am,” she says of her TV success.
DiGiovanni describes her comedy style as “personality driven” and “very honest.”
When she started, DiGiovanni didn’t expect her comedy to be mostly about herself, but she found success with it and kept it going.
“That’s just how it came out when I went on stage,” she says laughing.
“It’s just all about me. It’s really shameful.”
