Toronto-based comedian, Kyle Lucey, found a (safe) way to continue to bring laughter to a few people during the global pandemic through The Secret Show! Learn more about how he did it below.

Hi Kyle! Can you tell us about The Secret Show! and what was the inspiration behind it?

The Secret Show is part of my comedy company, “Renegade Comedy” that has been producing sold out shows at bars, comedy clubs, casinos and theaters for over 5 years now. When the lockdown hit Toronto, every comedy club in the country had to closed its doors to keep everybody safe. Comedians were greatly affected by this because we had no way of doing our art. Comedians were labelled, “non-essential” and our industry was decimated. Around June 2021, the Ontario government started allowing up to 10 people outside. I saw an opportunity there. I thought, “let’s turn my backyard into a comedy club!” This would give myself and fellow comics some much needed stage time. We made sure we capped the audience so we would be abiding by government protocol for outside gatherings. I branded it as a secret show so that I wasn’t sending out my address to strangers but it was a happy accident. Audience loved the speakeasy vibe The Secret Show created and we have been sold out every week for over 3 months!

As Indigenous representation continue to grow in movies and television, Sarah Podemski, an Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi actor, joins SyFy’s Resident Alien. Read more below about her role in the show as well as her own personal pursuits and goals as an actor.

Hi Sarah, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Tell us about SyFy’s comedy/drama series, Resident Alien. You play a character named Kayla, what kind of person is she and what role will play into the story?

This show is a mash up of comedy, sci-fi, heartfelt drama, and total insanity, it’s a real trip! The character I play, Kayla, is awesome! She is funny, and tough, a great mother, and a support for Asta at a pivotal point in the show.

Resident Alien’s premise is so funny and interesting, especially with Alan Tudyk playing the “resident alien”, Harry Vanderspeigle. What drew you to this unique series? What has been your favorite part about it?

I loved the way this role was written! It was written by an Indigenous writer named Tazbah Chavez, and she did such a beautiful job of creating a multi dimensional character. It’s very rare to find an Indigenous character written by Indigenous writers, unfortunately, so I was so happy to hear she was involved, and it made it that much more exciting to get the job! My favorite part of the whole show is the Indigenous representation. The show’s creator Chris Sheridan made it a priority to portray an Indigenous family, who are written with such love and care. It was so exciting to see on TV for the first time in a long time! 

Actor and creator, Vasilios Filippakis, talk to Defective Geeks about the brilliant origin story of the title his new series, FAK YAASS– and if you wanted to find out what his dream project would be, keep reading below!

Hello, Vasilios, thank you for talking to Defective Geeks! FAK YAASS looks absolutely hilarious and heartfelt. What inspired the title and how does it tie-in with the themes of the show?

Hey there! Thanks so much for taking the time to ask me some questions about the show. I love shows that are exactly that, have heart but make you laugh out loud. I was serving a table at my night job and I happened to serve these wonderful Greek ladies and their mother. We got chatting, I told them about the show and how I wanted a title with a pun. I tossed the ideas of something with gyro, or souvlaki but still couldn’t figure it out. Later when I got back to the table, they said “what about FAK YES!” So that’s how I get the title! Fakes– pronounced “fah-kehs”– is an authentic Greek lentil dish. We put a play on the words and created our title FAK YAASS. I owe those ladies a free dinner. 

Only thirteen-years-old and already making a name for herself, actor and singer, Simone Miller stars in a new original web series called Detention Adventure. Check out this incredibly fun series on CBC Gem and get to know Simone below!

Hi Simone! Detention Adventure looks like such a fun show! Please tell us about it and about your character, Raign Westbrook.

Hello! Thank you so much for this opportunity Defective Geeks! Detention Adventure is a CBC Gem original web series, about three nerds who purposefully get themselves thrown into detention. In detention they meet Brett, the school bully, and together the group looks for hidden clues to try and find Alexander Graham Bells’ hidden lab that is said to be hidden under the school. 

Boss & Co’s Gwenlyn Cumyn and Karen Knox stars on their award-winning series, BARBELLE, with season one boasting over four million views. This colorful show explores the relationship between pop-star duo, Alice O’Hara and Veronica Vale and their public relationships– both professional and romantic. Watch the show now on KINDAtv’s YouTube channel and read our interview below!

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Gwenlyn and Karen! Tell us about your show, BARBELLE, and about the characters you play. What was the inspiration behind the show and Veronica and Alice?

We like to describe BARBELLE as the Gay Soap Opera of your dreams with good jokes, or if you prefer, a woke lesbian Spiceworld for 2019. The show is a short form digital series, and Season Two JUST started airing! You can watch it on Shaftesbury’s YouTube channel KINDAtv. The Series was inspired mostly by a drive to create a show that we (Karen Knox and Gwenlyn Cumyn) would have wanted to watch as teenage girls! There simply wasn’t representation for queer women that was hitting the mark in terms of quality TV shows. SO… We decided to make one!

Veronika Slowikoska began acting at a young age, trained in improv with Second City Conservatory, and has been seen in Degrassi: Next Class and See No Evil. You can soon watch her in What We Do in the Shadows is one of the most anticipated comedy-horror series which premieres March 27th on FX. Find out more below!

I have to say, I am excited to watch the What We Do In The Shadows television series! Tell us about your character Shanice, and what kind of role will she be playing along the vampire shenanigans.

Shanice is an insecure, sassy, LARPer (Live Action Roleplayer). She’s the nerd-ier side, but so am I! 

As an Asian-Canadian, Samantha Wan is forging a path to inspire creatives within the entertainment industry and advocating for the importance of representation in television and movies. Her show, Second Jen, is a buddy comedy about two second-generation millennials who are trying to make it on their own in the big city. Find out more about her work below!

Hi Samantha, congratulations on your nomination for Best Comedy Series in 2019 Canadian Screen Awards for your sitcom, Second Jen! Tell us about your show and how you came about creating it.

Thank you! Second Jen is a sitcom about Second Generation kids and their crazy immigrant families. Two Asian Canadian girls moving away from home and experiencing all their adult-ing firsts together. It’s based around the lives and neighborhoods of my co-creator, Amanda Joy, and myself. We created the show because at the time we found there weren’t many developed roles for us as Asian actors. We created what we thought was a pilot (later we realized it was more 22 min short films) and then used it to pitch at the Banff World Media Festival. There we got the show optioned by Don Ferguson Productions and some interest from broadcasters. Skip over three years of stuff that is less exciting to hear about, numerous bible rewrites, pitches, and LOTS of waiting ( maybe a bit of crying, thinking the show was over, then it wasn’t, then it was…), Rogers Media picked us up for development and then series! We finished our second season last year and are super proud of the work. The nomination is the icing on the cake!

Hi Allison, thank you so much for talking to Defective Geeks! We are also a female centric website! Please tell us more about Howl & Roar Records and what inspired you to start this record label.

Thank you so much for inviting me!

When I started hosting and curating a weekly radio show celebrating women in comedy, I realized that women just aren’t releasing content at the same rate as their male counterparts. Even proportionally speaking. So, I thought back to all the challenges and issues I faced when I recorded my album and realized that with all the contacts I have made in my 5+ years in radio, plus my 17 years as a comedian, I am in a unique position to make it easy for people to record. As well, here in Canada we really devalue our artists unless they find success elsewhere, so I wanted to create a place where comics felt valued.

Continue reading