Help Comedian Donnie Fan Crowdfund This Exciting Comedy Project

I interviewed comedian Donnie Fan back in March ahead of his debut headline show From Hero to Zero. After a successful run in Beijing, he then took the show across China performing in cities like Wuhan, Changsha, Ningbo, Nanjing and more. Now, he’s back in the capital and working on a super exciting new project.

One of the most interesting things about this project is that he’ll need your help in order to do it. Yes, for the project to go ahead Donnie Fan and his fellow headliners need funding to produce the show, so have launched a Crowdfunding campaign. I caught up with Donnie to find out more about the new project and Crowdfunding campaign. 

Firstly, congratulations on this exciting new venture! Can you tell us a bit about what exactly this project is?
Well, unfortunately for a news piece, it’s actually a bit secretive! In short- a major streaming platform contacted me to produce six English comedy headline shows for online distribution. However, I’ll say it upfront:  it isn’t Netflix! But it is going to be similar to the Netflix Is a Joke concept. Unfortunately, we aren’t getting paid to produce these shows so we are looking to use Crowdfunding to put it all together. We expect the shows to be seen by millions of viewers, it’s really exciting for the English stand-up community here. 

The show will feature six different comedy headliners, can you tell us a bit more about them?
Although we are totally unknown abroad, we really have a powerhouse line-up of local talent. You have heavy hitters like Eric Selley and Ian B who have been doing stand-up for years who are top billing performers in Beijing, as well as Dawn Wang who is the most famous of any of us with millions of follows on Weibo. Alex Shi is quite the talent and a master of deadpan, while Kei Gambit is a super-star voice actor. As for myself, I think I’ve been able to make a name for myself as a story-teller and narrative comedian and I’m very lucky to be included in this group of amazing comics. 

What do you hope to achieve with this project?
Most comedians spend years trying to just get ranked in the open mic community. In NYC you spend a year trying to develop from 5 minutes to 7 minutes. People don’t just come up to you and say “hey I see your talent...I want to put you on a platform.” Those opportunities don’t come. I’ve seen people who perform over 45 minutes regularly then have to go back to the bottom of the ladder when they return home [leave China] because it’s hard to assess our credibility here. I think this project really stands to give all of the comics that cred and show that we truly do have extremely talented people here who deserve a chance to be seen. 

In order for this project to go ahead you need to raise some money and are hosting a comedy roast of yourself as a Crowdfunding event, can you tell us a bit more about what’s in store?
Yes! This Saturday we have a small get together comedy roast where I will be the one being put through fire. The initial venue has changed due to some extenuating circumstances, so we are doing a small invite only event in Sanlitun. However, Beijinger readers who are fans of ours can scan the QR code in the poster below to reserve tickets. It will be on Saturday Oct 1, from 6-8pm.

Do you have any other Crowdfunding events planned? 
We have ongoing Crowdfunding which includes passes to these six headline comedy shows! The filming will be at a private venue/location and will not be public or ticketed, but what we do have are passes available for those who help with the Crowdfunding! You can Crowdfund through the QR code below, but make sure to you use your real phone number so we can contact you! 

Moving on to a more personal note, you’ve spent the summer doing a comedy tour across the country, how was that?
Oh my. What a loaded question. It was absolutely one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I really felt I was able to prove to myself that everything I’ve been doing wasn’t just in my own imagination and that audiences of all races and backgrounds could really enjoy what I do. The biggest compliment I usually receive is when people come up to me and say “we really think your comedy is very authentic.” Obviously comedy is entertainment. It’s a performance art. There’s no rule about being authentic, but for better or worse I am myself. I can’t believe I was able to find a medium that allowed it to be for the better.

Apart from this upcoming project what other comedy projects are you currently working on?
The project I'm currently really excited about is 8 BIT COMEDY, a shorter than one minute weekly video series which will be ongoing. My mind sometimes works in really strange ways and one day I was thinking "what if the Final Fantasy video game series had stand-up comedy in it?". So, I contacted my friend Seanred.io who did the donniefan and keigambit websites, and asked him if it would he possible. Then I scripted little snippets of old pixelated style game play with jokes and audience response. It's just so much fun and unlike anything that's ever existed. Who knows, 8 BIT Donnie may become more popular than live action Donnie. The first episode has already reached over 20k views. You can check it out on my WeChat channel by scanning the QR code below.

For any budding comedians out there, how can they get involved in the comedy scene in Beijing? 
We have open mic nights at Paddy O’Shea’s every Tuesday and at Gatsby’s every Wednesday! Drop in and give us a line. Otherwise you can simply talk to your friends and ask if they know anyone who does stand-up. There’s bound to be a web you can find us weaved into in your friendship circle. Get in touch and just say “hey. I’d like to get on a mic someday.”

Follow Comedy Club China’s official account and keep up to date with all comedy related news by scanning the QR code below.

You can find out more about Donnie Fan at his website: Donnie Fan | Standup Comedy in Beijing.

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Images: courtesy of Donnie Fan, Comedy Club China