Start-up comedian catches followers

"How do you make a hormone?" asked Nate Blanchard, a psychology major and up-and-coming comedian.
"You don't pay her." Blanchard, 19, was born and raised in Scotts Valley and got involved in musical theater and plays at age 11. His first experience in stand-up comedy was at age 15 when his high school drama teacher, Karen Babbitt , had him do stand-up comedy for his final project.

"She saw my potential early on and made me her protégé," said Blanchard. "She was very much a mentor and teacher to me."

"Nate went from a shy kid who shrugged his shoulders and stared at his toes all the time, to a ham in his own limelight all in six weeks at the Kids On Broadway Summer Camp," said Blanchard's father Don.

Blanchard entered the local comedy scene in San Francisco when he returned from studying abroad in Germany during his senior year in 2008.

So far his most popular gig has been with Marga and the Boys, an all gay stand-up comedy foursome. When times are good, he schedules one open mike or stand-up event per week, said Blanchard.

Two memorable places he has played at are Harvey's in San Francisco and The White Horse in Oakland.

"I have gained a decent following, surprisingly quick," said Blanchard.

Blanchard gets inspiration from personal experience.

"I'm very observant of how people are and I apply what I see in people directly into my act," said Blanchard.

His celebrity influences include Tracy Ullmond, Robin Williams, and Gilda Radner.

Blanchard writes jokes that are new and in-the-now.

"You have a set that sums you up in ten minutes that tells the audience who you are and makes them laugh," he said.

Part of his act has to do with impersonations, especially of his family members. "'Oh, honey,'" says Blanchard, who is gay, impersonating his mother. "'I knew you were gay from the moment you were born, who are you kidding? You were little mermaid for Halloween at age three. Show me another three-year old who could wear heels.'"

"He does real well at his shows, he's very good with the audience and reads them to a tee," said Don Blanchard. "He captures the audience from every angle and is very attuned to the mood of the audience, especially for a kid his age."

Blanchard wants to be known as a comedian that is gay but not as a gay comedian. He says he loves to make people laugh, distract them from their lives, take them out of their world.

"I've come to learn to love myself and to be a comedian you have to be really strong," said Blanchard. "Every comedian goes through a bomb phase where the night just doesn't go right, and there is no describing the feeling: ... part embarrassment, part pain. But knowing you're funny and that you love yourself gets you through it."

"The world is a messed up place, you gotta freakin' laugh at it, otherwise you're screwed," he says.