Ever Mainard and Heather Dean are two recent L.A. transplants who make up one hilarious comedic duo. Their show, HD & EM in the AM/PM, has been described as a morning talk show at night…” think KathyLee and Hoda meet a pack of wolves!” The funny ladies moved to L.A. to make a comedic debut here on the West coast, and maybe even make a few new friends along the way. They share their experiences and lessons learned (so far) in the Q&A below. Enjoy!
Q. What brought you out to LA? Where did you move from? How long ago?
Ever – I came out to LA to pursue comedy and stand up. I moved here from Chicago about four months ago. I trained at Second City, IO, and did a lot of stand up in Chicago. After a while I started doing more stand up and headlining more shows. I have been in the Just For Laughs Festival, Bridgetown Festival, and was lucky enough to have a comedy set go viral. So it was just a natural progression to come to LA.
Heather – I moved to LA two months ago from Chicago to pursue comedy and TV writing. I did the opposite of Ever. I started out doing stand up when I first moved to Chicago, but was heckled once when I was 18 and then began improvising and writing sketch comedy with independent teams, iO classmates, at iO, and later joined Second CIty’s BenchCO ensemble. So thanks heckler!
Q. What differences have you noticed between LA comedy and Chicago Comedy?
Ever – I haven’t dived into the improv scene much (other than this show) but the stand up scene seems to be everywhere. LA has comedy sprawled out across the city so thats been a bit of a challenge. I was used to having comedy in a more centralized area in Chicago and being able to ride my bike there. I’m still getting used to driving again! I’ve also noticed that there are considerably more actors doing stand up out here! After a while it seems like Chicago is a small town-relatively speaking- if a bar has a stage- there’s bound to be comedy there!
Heather – Oh I miss biking! I agree with Ever, there is a wider variety of reasons that people are in the “comedy scene” in LA. It’s refreshing though! Since
everyone does drive here, it seems easier to get an audience to come out in “Winter.” They’ve been really receptive and fun!
Q. Why iO West?
Ever – I wanted to have this show at IO because we are both alumni. We are bringing HD and EM from Chicago to LA, and at least for me, I wanted a little bit of that hometown feel to this wacky show.
Heather – I agree! The first improv class I ever took was at iO and I loved all the training classes, and anytime I could perform at iO in Chicago.
Q. What is HD and EM in the AM/PM?
Ever – HD and EM in the AM/PM is a daytime talk show at night. Basically we take the format of Good Morning America or KathyLee and Hoda and turn it into this bizarro show. Every week we portray different celebrities who have their own talk show. Our first show was Beyonce and Sasha Fierce. Upcoming shows include Zach Efron & Justin Beiber, Two bad dudes, and more! We are really excited about this run because we have real people that we interview! We even got a chef!
Heather – And Tom Cruise’s intern… ok Tom Cruise’s alleged intern.
What has been the hardest thing getting a show started in LA?
Ever – The hardest thing for me has been finding the right venue and getting audiences in the door. Its a lot of hustle, but the payoff is worth it! LA is a great city, but its a lot of work!
Heather – I think scheduling has been trickier. Everyone is working so hard and doing so much, it can be a juggling act to find an hour or two that works.
Q. Any tips for comedians/improvisers moving out to LA?
Heather – Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends who have made the leap, they’ll be happy to see you and to help. And $AVE! $AVE! $AVE!
Ever – Its easy to get lost out here. Most of everything that you have built for yourself is gone- you just have to start from the beginning and go! Take your time and enjoy yourself. LA is awesome!
You can catch Heather & Ever’s show this month at the iO West. It’s live Wednesday’s til’ Jan 29th. Log on HERE for more details about the show & how you can buy your tickets!
