Andrew Nason

A talented comedian, writer, actor and director, Andrew Nason has been working in the entertainment industry both nationally and internationally since 1993.  He has headlined international stand up comedy tours, written scripts for television and feature films, acted on stage, film and television, worked on radio, produced and directed short films and corporate video, done voice overs, represented Queensland at the National Theatresports titles, written and performed many comedy debates and lectured in acting, impro and comedy, most notably as a regular sessional lecturer at QUT (since 2003).  Occasionally he has time for a nanna nap.

 His personal favourite credits include as a writer for ABC TV’s Backberner, as an actor on Nim’s Island, performing semi-nude in a backless suit at a comedy debate and being awarded the Magic Moment at the 2006 National Theatresports titles.

 In the corporate arena Andrew is a much sort after Emcee, Comedian, Improviser, Trainer and Corporate Hoaxer*.  His professionalism and range of skills have seen many clients offer return work. (for example, he has been the emcee of Cavalier Corporation’s annual international conference since first taking the reins at their third conference in 2003, he has emceed training conferences for Schering Plough in 2004, 2007 and 2008 and launched the GEC’s seasons in 2008 and 2009).

 Working freelance and in association with companies as diverse as Performance Frontiers (Brisbane), Eventful (Sydney) and Troupe Du Jour (Melbourne), his diverse range of corporate clients have included: ANZ, the Asthma Foundation, Bechtel, BHP, BVN Architects, Cadbury Schweppes, Catholic Education, Cavalier Corporation, the Cerebral Palsy League, Clubs Queensland, the Commonwealth Bank, CFMEU, Cougars Football Club, Flight Centre, Gladstone Entertainment Centre (GEC), Jones Lang Wooton, KPMG, Queensland Arts Council, Queensland Nurses Union, Queensland Rail, Queensland Transport, Novartis, Optus, Schering Plough Telstra, Theiss, Westpac and Woolworths

 (*A Corporate Hoax is the writing of humorous keynote speeches and delivering them in character so that, at first, audience is unaware that the speaker is in fact a comedian… of course, by the end, the audience will know.  A Corporate Hoax is an excellent way to inject comedy and is always fresh and topical to the client)

Andrew Nason – A Brief Question and Answer Session: 

Name:  Andrew Nason

Age:  Old enough to have had a mid-life crisis… actually, I had my mid-life crisis at 26 – does that mean I’ll only live till I’m 52? 

Years in the Biz: I had my first paid gig on my 30th birthday.  Bob’s Comedy Cafe at Breakfast Creek.  Performing to the 3 other comedians, a drunk and a bartender…  and I’m pretty sure that the drunk was one of the other comedians… Ah, those were the days hey?

Club Started In: I did my first open mic spot at the Sit Down Comedy Club back when it was at Snug Harbour and only running on Thursday nights…

Favourite gig: To this day, playing to 1400 people in Auckland at a venue that legally only held 1200 was an experience: actually having to climb over people to get to the dressing room… But number one billing would have to go to the last night of the Sit Down Comedy Club when it was located at Snug Harbour. Our band ‘The Bunch of Crunts’ played (Jimmy Polous on Drums, Adam Couper on Bass/ vocals, Mike van Acker rhythm guitar/ vocals and me on bad rhythm guitar and even worse vocals… As bands go we’re a great flamenco dance troupe…

Worst Gig ever: I once did stand up dressed as a seven foot condom.   The short version of a very long story was that it was part of a publicity campaign for a new brand of condom.  The owner thought he’d get free publicity by having Freddie (the condom) appearing on the old Hey Hey It’s Saturday’s “Red Faces” performing a script he (the owner) had written.  The auditions were held at a large RSL club on the Gold Coast.  The majority of the 600 strong audience were either aged 8 or 80, there were few in between.  Freddie was introduced to stage with: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the management takes no responsibility for our next act and has no control over what he says.” It was the longest 3 minutes of my life.  It was so quiet even the tumbleweeds made no sound…  Thank God no one could see my face – I even wore the costume back to the car so that no one could identify me.

Coming a close second would be the time someone lobbed a home made explosive onto the stage during my set at a gig in Corndale (outside of Nimbin)… It didn’t do any damage but one old guy in the audience did have a heart attack… tragically the old guy survived the heart attack, but not my set…

Fantasy Dinner Party Guests: If it were a true fantasy, I’d invite my past self so I could give him the heads up on what’s about to go down… the idiot would probably still make the same mistakes though as he was useless at following advice…

Favourite Movie: Cinema Paradiso…  I love European cinema – you don’t need things exploding or to have a Hollywood ending to make a great movie

Favourite Saying: Currently it’s “You have more to fear from the coward than the brave man”…. I wrote it …because life has taught me this is true… the hard way. One of my other favourites is by my mate Adam Couper: “The probability of anything happening is always 50%.  Either it will happen or it won’t.”

First Car: A ’73 model Corolla coupe.  Cream. We did a lot of driving together: I took the odometer round twice and went through two engines. When I finally traded it in 10 years later, the salesman offered me $100 for every kilometer I could continue to drive it… I got $600…

Dumbest Thing I Ever Did:  As a fourteen year old, I tried to cut a notch in an arrow I was making for my little cousin with a very sharp hunting knife… Thanks to the skill of a micro-surgeon at the P. A. Hospital, I still have the index finger on my left hand…

Smartest Thing I Ever Did: Never wearing bike-pants.

5 Words That Describe Me: A square bear with spots.