Our Young Authors Contest winner for this issue is Nicholas Lagacé, Grade 6 student at Crestview Elementary. Nicholas had the opportunity to sit down with Sébastien Bourgault, a well-known stand-up comedian, for a one-on-one interview.

Q; How old are you, and at what age did you start doing comedy?
A; I'm 19 years old, ha-ha, no, I'm 43 years old and I started doing comedy full-time in 2007 at 32 years old. But in the past, I struggled a lot because when you're not funny, you don’t make money, so I had a day job and tried to be funny, but in 2007 I started paying rent with what I made doing stand up comedy.

Q; What is your favourite TV show?
A; My favourite TV show? Oh, that's a good question! I love Bates Motel, I watched every episode and I cried at the end. I also loved Walking Dead but I don’t watch it anymore because I would have nightmares every night with zombies chasing me everywhere, so I stopped watching.

Q; Where do you come up with the jokes for your shows?
A; It's very easy, it's life. When I experience bad situations in my life, I write about the situation and try to find a punch line to go along with it, for example, if I see someone falling down on the ice.

Q; My favourite comedian is Drew Lynch. Who is yours?
A; My favourite comedians are Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Carrey. They are my mentors and I feel like I'm following the same path they did in their careers.

Q; Tell us about your new YouTube channel and where you see it going in the future.
A; Oh, it's going to be amazing, because I want to lose weight. I've been struggling to lose weight over the years, so I figure if I put my fat body on YouTube [laughs] then I'll have no choice and I'll have the motivation I need to lose it. I want to do a daily video and go to Hollywood this summer.

Q; Tell us about growing up. Where did you grow up and what was it like?
A; I grew up in Anjou in Montreal. It was amazing, we had a public pool, so all of my friends used to go to the public pool and we tested the theory of the water turning red when you pee in it. It doesn't turn red, it just turns yellow! I collected baseball cards, WWF figures, action figures, stamps, coins… I loved to collect things. My childhood was one of my favourite times.

Q; Were you good in school?
A; No, I was star-gazing all the time and wondering when recess was!

I never liked school, but I finished and graduated for my mother because it was very important for her that I finished. To succeed I did a lot of extra curriculars to motivate me and keep it interesting.

Q; Out of all your jokes, which one do you think is the funniest?
A; My funniest joke is my pancake joke. It's my favourite joke. I love pancakes!

Q; What types of jobs did you do before you decided to be a comedian?
A; I washed dishes, I was a cook, a DJ, a waiter, a barman, a bus boy, a paper boy, a door-to- door cheese salesman, I sold Jesus calendars and I sold palms for church.

Q; What advice would you have for someone starting out in comedy?
A; My advice would be to never give up, to always follow your dreams. People told me I would never be able to do comedy in English, but I did it! I learned English and now I make people laugh. It’s a good thing that I didn’t listen to them, or I wouldn’t be here talking to you! Focus and you will succeed…work hard and surround yourself with good people.