Leaving a stable job for the instability of life as a comedian is something that most people wouldn't have the nerve to do. But former pulp mill worker and rising star Alex MacKenzie was ready to take the risk, and it's paying off.

You may have heard of the Hungry for Laughs Tour already as it's been a growing phenomenon in Western Canada. Now it's bigger than ever, and returning to Prince George, BC November 18th at the CN Center. The tour is a result of Mackenzie's stab at entrepreneurship and hopes that the tour will whet some appetites for comedy in his hometown.

CFUR News caught up with Alex Mackenzie over the phone before he hit the stage in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Before hitting the road and hitting the stage, Mackenzie had a stable existence working a typical job in Prince George, BC but decided to put it all on the line. He describes the spark of inspiration, "I really wanted to do something, and comedy found its way into my life in my mid twenties. Then I kicked the tires on it for like four years before actually making the jump to really just do it."

Taking the risk to pursue comedy was relative though. Mackenzie explains, "Everything is risky. If you look now, the mill that I worked at actually just shut down, unfortunately, this year, PG Pulp. That's where I started." Canfor's Prince George Pulp mill closed down in April of 2023, with a loss of 300 jobs.

With that in mind, touring the countryside with an entourage of talent doesn't feel so bold to him, "The safe, secure job, it's still risky, man. So it's like, you might as well take the risk on the thing you really want to do and roll the dice that way."

Though his Mom, Coral Mackenzie may not have been fully supportive at first, she now plays a key role in the ins and outs of event coordination and fully participates with other staff in what has now grown into a family business. Mackenzie acknowledges, "The best advantage is just having supportive parents."

When asked how such staggering line up featuring talent from all over the continent and beyond was assembled, Mackenzie refers to a unique opportunity the pandemic inadvertently provided. "I started a thing called, Comedy Night in Canada, and I was producing these Zoom shows. Because no comedians were working, I could get any comedian on the show, like any Canadian comic on the show."

Once the momentum started, he hasn't stopped, and some things are getting easier than they used to be. He says, "I was trying to get big people behind it. And you're like, I have this really good idea." He explains that the idea alone wasn't enough, "You had no working capital, there was no anything. And then what you realize, it's like, if you build it, they will come. Once I put together an event that was worth sponsoring, people could see this was a good event, and working. Then people were very happy to get behind it."

You can see Alex's hustle and charm along with some talented friends on stage at the CN Centre in Prince George, BC on November 18th.

Tickets are available online through Tickets North, hungryforlaughs.com, and on November 8th, students can buy discounted tickets in person at the UNBC Winter Garden. A portion of those proceeds go to the Student Planning Society. Partial proceeds from every ticket is going to the Hospice Society.