Meet Oliver Wong | Stand-up Comedian & Adult FIlm Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Oliver Wong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Oliver, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I am a huge risk-taker. I think that by taking risks, the scope of my life is expanded. Taking risks is a bit like gambling; sometimes, you get the result you want, but sometimes the result disappoints you. But I always ask myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” And usually, the answer is, “Not much.”

But I didn’t always enjoy taking risks. When I was in my early twenties, I was debilitatingly shy and risk-averse. I could not bring myself to speak more than two sentences in a class, and I would not want to do anything that I wasn’t confident in doing, like going to the gym. Yes, the first time I went to a gym, I was 23-year-old, and, as a person who had never lifted dumbbells, I had to mentally prepare myself by meditating and telling myself, “Nobody I know will ever see me clumsily use those gym equipment so fuck it” before I stepped into the gym.

In 2018 when I was 26, I found stand-up comedy, and everything changed. Stand-up comedy is a line of work where you are constantly taking risks. Being a stand-up comedian means that I have to try out new jokes, knowing that it might bomb, or I have to tell old jokes in front of a new audience, knowing that these people who do not know anything about me may not take a liking to my comedy.

Ever since I took the risk to do stand-up, my life has become bigger than I had ever imagined. I met so many wonderful friends and talented comedians. I get to spend my time with many funny people who always have interesting life stores to share. Stand-up seems scary and it could be, but every time I finish a set, I am always like, “That wasn’t too bad. I’m glad I did it.”

And on my personal side, because of stand-up, I’ve become much more confident, partially because I finally found something I have passion for, and partially because, after experiencing a few bombing incidents, I know that failure is part of the creative process; and I want to enjoy the process, however risky, instead of staying in my comfort zone, like eating spicy chips and watching Productivity Tips Youtube videos when I know the best productivity tip is to get off Youtube and work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
How did I get to be an adult film director? Well, I was referred to an adult film company by a friend who had some connections. (Yep, you don’t just ZipRecruiter into the porn industry.)

As an adult film director, I want to create porn that is character-focused and story-driven with reality-based sex scenes. Instead of making yet another porn video where actors go straight into penetration without foreplay, I want to present sex in an intimate way, in a way that the audience can project and relate. I want to see kissing and touching in my porn, and I want the audience to know who the characters are. Are they lonely or confident? What does she do? What does he want, except for sex?

With a background in screenwriting and filmmaking, I’m familiar with the filmmaking process, and I’m trying my best to create original adult film stories. What I will say is that it can be difficult to reach the right viewers, considering the current porn market is still saturated with fast-food-style sex.

As far as my stand-up comedy career goes, it definitely hasn’t been easy, because if it had, I probably had not been working hard enough. As an immigrant who speaks English as my second language, the biggest challenge for me as a stand-up comedian is that I have to spend more time learning the American culture and crafting my English writing in a way Americans can easily understand. My English, on a technical level, is fluent, but I have to learn to understand the American communication logic and the subtext of certain words (like metaphor, innuendo, etc.) Overcoming this challenge is a never-ending process. I read English books in my spare time, pay attention to the way Americans speak, keep writing jokes, and just keep absorbing the culture.

I want to clarify, though. I do not intend to assimilate into American society. Because I just can’t. I will forever have some Taiwaneseness inside me, which I am immensely proud of. But it is important for me as an immigrant stand-up comedian working in the US to learn about the American culture.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My best friends are mostly Taiwanese, so I will bring them to where they can get the most authentic Taiwanese food: San Gabriel Valley. We will have boba tea at Half & Half and then have beef noodles at Taipei Bistro. If they have some room in their stomach left, we will top it off with oyster vermicelli at Golden Leaf.

If they like comedy, hey, I will take them to Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, which is where I regularly perform and I also host a weekly open mic there on Wednesdays.

If they enjoy the beach, Venice Beach. It’s less crowded than Santa Monica and has cool coffee shops!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents. I am extremely fortunate to have one of the most liberal, open-minded parents. My parents, even though it took them a few years, completely accept me for being gay and want me to find love and perhaps get married someday. Knowing that my parents support me in being who I am, I feel emboldened to express myself as an artist. I am able to post racy comedy content on my social media accounts, which are followed by my parents, and feel no shame but a sense of freedom.

Compared to other Taiwanese parents, my parents have less strict expectations of what I do for a living. By day, I am an adult film director. By night, I am a stand-up comedian. This combination is not often seen and could concern some parents. My parents, however, have no problems with what I do and proudly tell their friends, “My son is making porn!” There is one caveat, though. I am not gonna lie. The only expectation my parents have about me is that I support myself financially. If I am able to do that, they don’t care what I do at all. And it is exactly this kind of non-judgemental parental style that gives me the courage I need to pursue my artistic career.

Oh, not that you would want to know, but even though I am a gay man, I am directing straight porn. I do that so my dad can finally appreciate my art. (Okay, I know you can’t hear my tone, but it’s a joke, guys.)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliverwongcomedy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thatoliverwong

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oliverwongcomedy