Ed Hill
Standup stripped of the stage, the microphone, and the noise.
2 specials · 2021–2024
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Ed Hill removes the physical barriers of standup. You will rarely catch him gripping a microphone stand on a brightly lit stage. He prefers to sit level with a tiny group of people, sometimes just a handful of friends arranged in a circle, and talk. His delivery is unhurried and remarkably quiet. He lets an anecdote about a broken washing machine or a dead pet turtle unspool at the exact same pace he uses to discuss his parents. The rhythm isn’t a traditional setup and punchline. It is a steady, gentle unfolding of a story until the absurdity at its center shows up on its own.
Specials
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Comedy Dynamics · 61 min
On stage
He operates outside the standard comedy trajectory. While his peers grind the road to tape an hour in a historic theater, Hill builds his specials like quiet independent films. He will clear out his actual office to film a set meant for an audience of one, prioritizing intimacy over the sound of a roaring crowd.
The material relies on absolute earnestness. He talks about his Taiwanese-Canadian upbringing and his immediate family with a steady warmth. Because he refuses to force a joke, the laughs are often soft, appreciative chuckles. The risk of this format is that a set can occasionally drift away from comedy and into a sincere monologue. He pulls the room back by dropping in strange, specific details about daily life right when the mood threatens to get too heavy.
He lives in Vancouver and works in the mental health field. That professional background shapes his stage presence. He sets up the room so that the audience has to lean forward and listen.
Turning points
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2020–2021
Intimate Circle Group-Therapy Special Format
After pandemic restrictions cancelled his theater taping, Hill pivoted to film 'Candy & Smiley' inside an Italian Cultural Centre ballroom surrounded by a circle of close friends and family, applying his background as a clinical counsellor.
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First Taiwanese-Canadian One-Hour Comedy Special
Hill became the first comedian of Taiwanese-Canadian descent to release a full one-hour special with 'Candy & Smiley', which was named among the top specials of 2021 by Paste Magazine and NPR.
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2023–2024
Off-Off Broadway Debut and Final Special
Hill made his off-off Broadway debut at The Tank Theater in New York City with 'Stupid Ed' before releasing it in 2024 as his final special, filmed inside a mental health clinic before an audience of one.
At a glance
- Born
- 1984, Taipei, Taiwan
- On stage
- since 2009
- Style
- observational, satire, storytelling
- Breakout
- Candy & Smiley
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Podcasts
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Son of Smiley · host
A weekly storytelling podcast chronicling Hill's life stories as the son of a Taiwanese immigrant, focusing on childhood memories and his relationship with his father.
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Model Mythology · co-host
An interview show exploring and uplifting voices from the Asian diaspora to combat the Model Minority Myth through personal stories.
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Ex is Forever · co-host
A biweekly podcast examining the positive and negative aspects of invited guests' past romantic breakups.
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Guide to the Quarantine · host
A clip to start with
Stand Up Comedy by Ed Hill - Pants On Fire