Life & Work with Victor Paredes of Toledo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Paredes

Hi Victor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Born in Chicago, and raised under two loving parents and a great older sister, my family was super encouraging of life in showbusiness from a young age. My parents had a running joke that whenever they saw a child actor on television, especially if the acting was terrible, they would turn to me and jokingly say, “See! Boy you could do so much better than that! No go out and make me some money!”
I loved living in a house full of laughter and love. We would tell each other jokes and my family would encourage me to tell funny stories at parties, to loved ones, or even total strangers. The reality is I’ve been performing all my life.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel like if i told most people from my childhood that I am a stand up comedian half would be like, “Of course that your job.” and the other half would be in total disbelief that I even managed to get up on stage. Growing up my main challenge was in my ability to communicate. While I liked performing for my family or other adults, my main issue was with my own peers. Growing up Mexican American in area with very low diversity I didn’t really have the option to fly under the radar. I feel like there were certain expectations on how I should act from the outside community and it made it difficult to feel like i belonged anywhere. I think this insecurity is one of the reasons I started performing stand up comedy. I wanted a way to joke about my discomfort with societal standards.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a major in Sales and Service Marketing and a minor in Spanish. While my family jokes that they should have sent me to theatre school if i was going to be spending all my time on stage, the reality is that the lessons I learned in university, helped make me a unique comic with an understanding that it is nearly as important to market myself and my comedy, as it is to tell jokes. I believe showbusiness today really does depend on a comics ability to promote themselves not just on stage but off stage after a show, and online to an even greater audience potential. In that regard I feel like i work harder than most comedians.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Most times when i tell people I’m a stand up comedian I’m met with the response, :Oh I could never do that. I would be too scared to perform in front of all those people”. To those people I have to say that most times when I’m performing, I am pretty terrified and or nervous about what I’m about to do. In my first three year of performing I would wear a heart monitor because it felt like i could hear my heartbeat in my ears whenever I was going to perform. The fastest my heartbeat got to before a show was 176. My watch would alert me to this change and ask me if i was working out or to go see a doctor. To this day I’m still pretty scared to perform. But that is what i love about comedy so much. Its about pushing myself outside of my comfort level. Anybody can go up an perform stand up comedy. There are no barriers except for the ones we hold in our own minds. I highly encourage everybody i meet to perform standup once in their life. Face your fear of public speaking and realize that the majority of the people their want you to do well. Most people want you to do well. This rule can also be applied to most things in life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v1pcomedy/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictorJAJAParedes?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/pMJzRCRybeQ